Lion in the Desert
by Pichuzilla
Summary: Shishimiya Kohaku, new to Team Kakashi, rejects everyone on sight. An eccentric enigma of a loner, she and Gaara should hit off, but it is, instead, otherwise. With a long-term mission in his village, Gaara doesn't plan on leaving it as it is. GaaraxOC
1. Enter: Shishimiya Kohaku!

Author: Pichu here. I've decided to rewrite this story entirely because, well, to be honest, I think it sucks and I might be able to do it justice, even if it's just a bit. So for those who happen to recognize this story, please note that it's a slightly different version of my old story 'Opening of Sabaku no Gaara's Heart'. (Goodness, even the title sucked.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here except those that you don't.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha or Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. Thought you should know.

* * *

_SLAM!_

"I absolutely refuse!"

_SLAM!_

A tanned fist slammed once again onto the Hokage's wooden desk.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed.

Tsunade had a slightly ticked off expression on her deceiving face; a hardly visible vein was throbbing on her temple. Shizune stood nervously beside her, hugging Tonton for reassurance that her mentor was not going to murder one of her subordinates.

"Naruto," Tsunade said threateningly, "If you do that again, I won't guarantee your safety,"

Said person had a very upset look on his face. His blonde brows were knitted together and his blue eyes glittering with disdain. "I don't want to go on a long mission with Sai!" he whined, "And the period of the mission's indefinite to boot! Why can't Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei and I just go as a three-man cell!"

The woman sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's S-ranked, Naruto," she explained, "And the employer specifically requested that Team Kakashi take the job,"

"S-ranked?" the words stopped the argument that Naruto had formed in his mind and planned to say next. "Where and what is the mission?"

Shizune took this as her cue to step in. Gently placing the pig down onto the floor, she grabbed a folder from the desk and began a brief explanation. "I won't tell you the details yet, seeing as how only you and Sakura are here," she said, "But Kazekage-sama of Sunagakure has requested that Team Kakashi act as replacement mentors for the shinobi-in-training for their village. They're experiencing a shortage of shinobi because of the recent Akatsuki attack and still have not completed the rebuilding of the village, so they have a lack teachers at the moment. Also, they want actual Konoha shinobi to teach at the Konoha-style academy, so they can get a feel of it,"

A blank look passed Naruto's face. "They want me to_ teach_ other people?" he asked incredulously.

"God knows why," Tsunade replied, looking upwards, "But you're a fine shinobi, I'll give you that. Just… stay away from the books."

Shizune continued on. "Sai has been given a different solo mission, so a replacement has been found for the time being,"

Naruto frowned at this. "Great," he grumbled, "Another person pretending to be like Sasuke,"

The door leading out of the office clicked open, and a silver-haired man stepped in. "Godaime-sama. Shizune. Naruto. Sakura," he nodded at each of them in greeting, "I've brought her,"

"Bring her in," Tsunade nodded towards the door that Kakashi was blocking.

"Her?" both Naruto and Sakura echoed; a sudden curiosity perked their interest.

Kakashi side-stepped, and an auburn-haired young girl with wide - almost creepy, in fact - hazel eyes stood at the doorway. A vibrant red forehead protector tied around her arm indicated that she was one of them. "Everyone, this is Shishimiya Kohaku," Kakashi introduced, "Kohaku, the blonde boy and the pink-haired girl will be your team-mates for the mission: Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura,"

The girl remained staring at them; gazing with what seemed like a clinical interest as her eyes moved from one person to the other. "Hello," her tone was detached, indifferent. She slightly bowed her head. "I am Shishimiya Kohaku. Please refer to me as Shishimiya."

A jab of annoyance hit Naruto. He didn't exactly like people who were too formal. "That's Naruto to you," he mumbled, cocking his head briefly before turning back to Tsunade, "A genin? Are you serious?"

Tsunade cleared her throat in an uncomfortable manner. "She may be a valuable asset in your team. The decision has been made. And don't forget, you were a genin not too long ago yourself. No further objections will be tolerated," she declared. She turned to her assistant, "Shizune. If you may begin the real briefing,"

Shizune repeated what she had said to Naruto and Sakura earlier before delving into the other details. "The mission rendezvous will obviously be at the entrance to Sunagakure. The employers will meet you there. The period of the mission is indefinite, so the time you will return here will be decided by the Kazekage-sama of Sunagakure," she added, "The ambassador will be assisting you with the student placements. You will have today to prepare for the mission, and will embark for the Land of Wind tomorrow."

"With that said," Tsunade stretched her arms above her head, "You all may be dismissed,"

Team Kakashi bowed respectfully, as all shinobi did when their masters dismissed them, before filing out of the office. Kohaku was last to leave; Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly as the girl cast the Hokage another look from the corner of her eyes before closing the door behind her.

The platinum blonde sighed tiredly, tapping her brightly-polished fingernails against the surface of the wooden table. Shizune regarded her mentor with a concerned expression. "Tsunade-sama? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just need some sake. Got any?"

"Tsunade-sama!"

xxxxx

Naruto and Sakura walked side-by-side, both teenagers staring at the queer girl walking ahead of them with their team leader. Her indifferent, emotionless expression remained, but she was talking in quiet, measured tones to a jovial Kakashi.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, is she like a genin rookie or something?" Naruto whispered, "How come she doesn't have a team?"

Sakura shrugged. "Ask Kakashi-sensei. He would know," she nodded towards Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed to have noticed that Naruto and Sakura were talking about him, because he stopped to look at them. "Anything wrong, Naruto? Sakura?"

Both of them hastily shook their heads. "No, not at all!" Sakura assured.

"Just wondering about the team-less genin, that's all," Naruto muttered to himself.

Kakashi missed Naruto's words as he made a suggestion. "Well, you guys want to go over to Ichiraku Ramen? Everything'll be on me if you'd like,"

A grin grew on the blonde's face as he heard his teacher's words. "Like I'd pass this!" he whooped as he started running towards the little ramen stand.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran after her friend in annoyance.

Kakashi chuckled as he started an even pace with Kohaku following him. "Kakashi-nii," she said, "That is the Kyuubi-kun, I assume?"

"The one and only," Kakashi confirmed.

Kohaku said nothing as her eyes followed the blonde's erratic movements from the ground up to the roofs of buildings and back onto the ground again.

xxxxx

"Say, Shishimiya," Naruto said as he slurped his third bowl of ramen, "Where do you live? I've never seen you 'round before,"

Kohaku looked up; she'd been engrossed in the continuing conversation with the jounin sitting in between the two of them. "Some place," she said vaguely, staring blankly at Naruto, "I prefer keeping a low profile,"

Naruto frowned; a pout forming on his lips. "Why're you so secretive, huh?"

Kohaku did not reply, instead she looked away and fixed her gaze someplace else. Sakura herself frowned, not liking the way the newbie was behaving. It was as bad as when they first met Sai, she'd decided, maybe even worse.

xxxxx

"And he's late. Again."

Naruto and Sakura were pacing back and forth as they awaited their absent team leader's arrival so that they could begin their journey towards Sunagakure. Now that Naruto thought about it, Kohaku herself wasn't present as well.

"For someone of high status and valor, Kakashi-sensei doesn't take his responsibilities seriously," Sakura complained.

"Why, Sakura, I'll take half of that sentence as a compliment,"

The two jumped and turned around to see Kakashi, his visible eye crinkled up in a smile, and their new temporary teammate standing beside him. "Yo!" Kakashi greeted, holding his hand up, "We got lost on the Roads of Opportunities today. It was hard finding the right door to this road,"

"IT'S A LIE!" the infuriated shinobi and kunoichi yelled as they stomped off, marking the start of their mission.

Kakashi sighed as he started after them, with Kohaku following suit. "You know, Kakashi-nii," Kakashi lifted a surprised eyebrow. Was she attempting to be conversational? "If I may add, that was a very tactless falsification."

"Please, Kohaku," he said, "Don't add insult to injury,"

"It was only a conviction of mine."

"Really. Please don't."

* * *

Author: And there it is! An entirely different beginning. Tell me what you think of it!

Luv,  
sakura-pichu16296


	2. I Hate Busybodies

Author: It's Pichu. I'm so happy with the moderate feedback I've received!!

**Thanks to:**  
My beta-reader _MidnightCherryBlossoms_ whom despite being lazy to beta-read for me, she still did it anyway :D  
_WeirdsBestFriend_  
_katarauchiha653719_  
_CRdragonPyro _  
_XxRikela-chanxX_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here except those that don't appear on Naru Wiki.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. Thought you should know.

* * *

Cerulean eyes alight with wariness rested upon the person in front of a blazing fire. Naruto watched Kohaku as she diligently fed firewood that he himself had found earlier into the flames.

They were alone.

Kakashi and Sakura had gone to a nearby town to grab some supplies before turning in for the night for the remaining two days of journeying. They had decided not to lodge in an inn; opting to slumber underneath the clear night sky. Naruto and Kohaku were presently in an awkward situation, with Kohaku being ever-so-silent and Naruto still cynical and distrusting of the young kunoichi.

Deciding to stretch his partly-stiff legs, Naruto stood up, accidently knocking Kohaku's bag over, tipping its contents. "Oh damnit," he muttered, "Sorry, I'll just pick it u-,"

He stopped halfway when he saw a gleaming white object. He stooped over to pick it up, but Kohaku reacted quickly and snatched her bag up and possessively zipped it, not letting Naruto take a closer inspection of curiosity on the foreign object.

Kohaku noticed Naruto giving her another strange look. Letting a sheepish look take over her face momentarily, she said, "Sorry, but I just don't really like people to touch my things,"

"What was that white thing anyway?" Naruto asked curiously.

Kohaku looked at him, the usual blank look on her face. "Nothing."

"C'mon! Just tell me. I won't laugh or anything."

"Honestly. It's nothing that you should know of."

"Well, if I want to know, that means I should know."

Kohaku scrutinized the blonde. "Uzumaki-kun."

A slightly excited look flashed across said person's face. "Uh-huh?"

Kohaku shook her head. "How do I put this lightly...?"

"What?"

"Mind your own business,"

The girl's words lit Naruto's short fuse, making him seethe quietly with anger. In normal circumstances, Naruto would've jumped at her and start beating some sense into her, but he had never done that to a girl before as well as something in his reasonable consciousness told him not to do so.

Forcing his facial muscles to morph a smile, he pretended that her blunt words of rejection had been nothing. "Is this how you normally talk to people?"

"What do you mean?" a quizzical look descended onto her face, "Does one have to have a certain pattern of speech in order to go about the modern social civilization?"

_"When one thinks he is supposed to have a certain pattern of speech," _Naruto thought in annoyance with the plastic smile still on his face, _"Normal people wouldn't talk to him. Man, she's way more annoying than Sai! Talk about obnoxious!"_

"Well, no," Naruto replied, "It's just that you speak like you're waaaaay older than Kakashi-sensei and you're kind of rude,"

"Rude?" she echoed. Instead of what would have to have been an insulted expression, her quizzical expression remained.

"Rude, as in, no one will want to talk to you if you keep on telling people to 'mind their own business'," he said as he air-quoted the last few words.

Kohaku scrunched her eyebrows together. "Well, I always find it effective to repel people with that sentence. I hate it when people-," her eyes rested momentarily albeit pointedly upon Naruto, "-want to know things that don't concern them. There's a name for people like that, and they are what we simply call 'Busybodies',"

Naruto gritted his teeth while clenching his fist. Sensing Naruto would remain silent, Kohaku sighed. "Well, if there is nothing else you would like to discuss, I will retire to my sleeping bag for the night," she said as she started walking around the camp-fire towards her sleeping bag, "I trust that you will not disturb me,"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved his hand with a peeved expression.

"That was a statement, not a question," she finished before slipping off her oriental flats and into her sleeping bag. The bag that Naruto wanted so much to take a look in was placed beside the sleeping girl's head.

Within the space of five minutes, the experienced shinobi could tell that his temporary teammate was deeply fast asleep by the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest as well as her evenly spaced breathing.

_"Now we shall see,"_ Naruto gleefully thought as he slowly advanced towards the unsuspecting girl, to her jealously guarded bag.

Naruto was reaching his hand out, over Kohaku's head and towards the bag, when a force knocked him over, sending him flying onto the ground. It all happened so fast - even for Naruto - that when Naruto opened his eyes from blinking, he came face-to-face with a deadly-looking Kohaku who had the cold blade of a kunai pressed against the tender flesh of his throat.

"Holy frack," Naruto gasped.

"I thought we agreed that you would not disturb me," Kohaku said frostily.

Kakashi and Sakura had been walking back in the duration of the other two's conversation, and had reached the camp-site. The jounin's visible eye widened in horror when he saw his long-time student and new subordinate glaring at each other, the latter having a kunai against the former's throat.

Quickly, he dropped the supplies he had been holding and ran to break the two apart. Sakura gasped in shock, hurrying over to check on her friend for visible scars and wounds.

"Naruto! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Sakura asked worriedly, feeling the skin and carefully examining it.

Naruto groaned, sitting up as he rubbed his back. "She's powerful," he mumbled.

Kakashi gave Kohaku a pointed look. "Would you care to explain?"

A defiant look appeared on the girl's face as she pocketed her kunai and started her explanation for the near-assassination of Naruto. "When I specifically warned Uzumaki-kun to not disturb me - which includes my belongings - I never expected him to throw away his dignity and degrade himself to a level where only common thieves familiarize themselves with,"

Kakashi nodded in understanding before turning to Naruto. "Your justification of the situation?"

Naruto sulked. "If she weren't colder than the Land of Snow, I wouldn't have to do so. I tried asking nicely, but she absolutely refused!"

Kakashi sighed into his hand. "Well Naruto, haven't I told you before? No means no,"

"But you know how curious I am!!" he whined childishly, "I_ can't_ not know!"

Kakashi turned to Kohaku again. "What did he want to see that you so vehemently refuse to show?"

Kohaku beckoned him to bend down, and she quickly whispered into his ear. Understanding glinted in his eye as he listened to what she had to say.

Kakashi straightened up again. "Naruto, I assume that you will bear no ill-will towards Kohaku in this matter. After all, you are at fault here. Kohaku has agreed to reveal what she is carrying when she thinks that the time is right,"

Kohaku's head snapped up. "I never said that!"

"How can I _not_ bear ill-will!?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi smiled, but an ominous atmosphere loomed over him as he directed the smile to both Kohaku and Naruto. "You did Kohaku, _remember?_" he said, "And you_ can_ not bear ill-will towards her,"

And awkward silence passed by as Kohaku and Naruto stood in front of each other; Kohaku with her hands on her hips, giving a cold glare and Naruto with his arms folded across his chest, his trademark sulky look on his face.

Sakura laughed nervously at the staring competition, and Kakashi clapped his hands together. "Alright! Break it up you two!! It's time to turn in. We're starting early tomorrow," he ordered, "The rendezvous has changed. The Sunagakure party is going to meet us in the big maze city, Meikyuu no Suna, on the way to their village as they have taken a bandit eradication mission. They're killing two birds with one stone that way,"

The two glaring teens mumbled incoherent responses before turning their backs on each other and taking to their sleeping bags; Kohaku on one side of the fire and Naruto completely on the other side. Kakashi swore he had heard the young girl threaten to asphyxiate the older boy if he came near to her during her second bout of sleep and sighed.

"This is going to be a problem..." Kakashi whispered to himself as he rolled out his own bag, "I wonder how Tenzou managed to get Naruto and Sai make peace..."

xxxxx

A blonde woman stood alone in a patch of sandy desert, resting her hand on an oversized fan spread out beside her. She wiped a speck of blood off her face. "Hey, Gaara. Though you'd make a shorter job of those bandits," she said as she grinned at a previously unnoticed figure stepping out of the shadows of a large rock.

A redheaded teen with a prominent red tattoo of the kanji 'Love' tattooed on the left corner of his forehead cocked his head slightly. "Temari. Where's Kankuro?"

"I'm mighty glad you insisted on coming with us," a deeper voice said. Temari and Gaara turned to see an entirely black-garbed person with lines of purple face paint on his face.

"Kankuro," the two acknowledged his presence.

Kankuro surveyed the bodies that lay littered on the ground around their feet. "Man, if it were only Temari and me..." he shook his head with a slight shudder, "I can't believe we have grown this weak,"

Gaara looked at his older brother condescendingly. "It's Temari and I," he corrected, "And despite the fact that our military forces have grown weak, we, the shinobi of Sunagakure, will become stronger than ever. That is why we have Naruto to help us,"

Temari chuckled half-heartedly. "Guess the kid's going to be a great help,"

Gaara turned around. "Let's find shelter to stay in for the night. We will depart for Meikyuu no Suna at dawn,"

xxxxx

Kohaku had been awake for a span of time when the others finally got up at dawn. Free of dirt and grime - thanks to the wonders of suiton jutsu - the extremely hygiene conscious kunoichi was sitting down as she watched to others pack up.

"Good morning, Kohaku!" Sakura greeted cheerfully as she passed by the idle girl.

Hazel orbs looked up. "It's Shishimiya,"

A nerve tweaked at the medic's temple. She plastered another smile onto her face. "I'll just stick to Kohaku anyway,"

Kohaku looked away disinterestedly. "If it is your intention to be familiar with me, go ahead,"

Naruto overheard the girls' exchange. "Sakura-chan, just leave her alone," he muttered, "She doesn't like people,"

Kohaku picked up her bag. "Kakashi-nii, will we be leaving for the city soon?"

Kakashi looked up from checking his bag. "Yep. Just pick up that pouch over there. Those are yours,"

The auburn-haired girl looked at the medicinal kit on the flat rock. She picked it up and dropped it into her bag. "Thank you. I'll just wait over yonder,"

As she was walking away from the camp-site, Kohaku felt the wind picking up. She looked up from her path and into the sky. "What the-?" her eyes widened, "Kakashi-nii!! Uzumaki-kun!! Haruno-san!! Take cover!! Quick!!"

The three who were busy with preparations looked up, alarmed by Kohaku's broken cool facade. "What's going on, Kohaku!?" Kakashi asked in an urgent tone, obviously affected by Kohaku's frantic actions.

"Never mind that!!" she screamed, "Just take a hard grip onto each other's hands!!"

Confusedly, the older shinobi quickly did so. Just then, Naruto noticed a strange cloud of dust accompanied by a strong gale of wind near them. "Oh God," Naruto gasped, "Shishimiya!! Come here quick!!"

"Kohaku!!" Kakashi shouted, "There's a sandstorm heading this way!! Hurry up and take hold of someone's hand!!"

"I'll be fine!" the girl shouted back, "Just find me in Meikyuu no Suna!! I'll meet up with you there!!" And the dusty storm swallowed the girl up before devouring Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura.

* * *

Author: Reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated!!

PS Meikyuu no Suna literally means Maze of Sand. It's just a made up city I made.

Luv,  
sakura-pichu16296


	3. Who Are You To Call Me Chibi?

Author: I'm kind of on a writing-high right now. It must be due to all the anime I've been watching lately.

**Thanks to:**  
My beta-reader _MidnightCherryBlossoms_ whom despite being lazy to beta-read for me, she still did it anyway :D  
_CRdragonPyro _  
_XxRikela-chanxX  
Child-1763  
leogirl321  
Priestess-of-Jashin  
Twistergirl14  
LadyAmazon  
_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here except those that don't appear on Naru Wiki.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. Thought you should know.

* * *

The first thing Kohaku saw when she opened her eyes was the arid desert. Obviously. The girl shook her head, shaking off any form of sleepiness or fatigue invading her mind and felt her shoulders underneath her lightweight cloak.

Good. The bag was still with her.

She stood up with a little difficulty and as she stretched her numb legs, she comprehended her surroundings. _"What a coincidence,"_ she mused, _"I got swept off and landed in front of the city border,"_

The majestic arch that stretched over two giant sand pillars had the words 'Meikyuu no Suna' written in kanji. Kohaku looked around to check if there was any sign of her teammates. All she saw were civilians milling about, conducting their daily mediocre business. Stretching her arms, the auburn-haired shinobi set off to search for the rest of the team.

xxxxx

As soon as the brutal wind died down, Gaara assumed that it was safe to let his sand sphere crumble down around him and let the grains flow back into his gourd. He let go of the concentrated chakra and studied the changed scenery around him. Where were Temari and Kankuro?

He looked around, searching for his siblings with no avail. He looked ahead and saw the shape of his and his siblings' original destination. Meikyuu no Suna. The sphere must've been moved during the sandstorm.

_"I'll just try going there and look for them,_" he decided, _"If I can't find them, I'll send a message back for trackers to be sent out,"_

Adjusting the gourd on his back, he set out to cover the short distance between himself and the city.

xxxxx

Kohaku was quietly cursing herself as she wandered the narrow streets, feeling like a lost animal. She had never been to a city, much less a city famed for its complicated streets. Kohaku supposed she had to thank her lucky stars that she was a shinobi. At least she could defend herself in the occasion that street thieves attacked her, for her foreign attire was certainly eye-catching. Vibrant hues of gold and royal blue definitely did _not_ blend with the sandy palette the locals chose to don. She pulled up the hood of her cloak to reassure herself.

She continuously looked around as she walked, a simple sequence she adopted as soon as she realized that she would not be able to find Kakashi-nii, Uzumaki-kun and Haruno-san easily. Left, up, right. Left, up, right. Left, up-

_CRASH!_

xxxxx

Muttering a few swear words as he sat up, Gaara rubbed the sore spot at the back of his head. He had bowed his head down in thought while walking without thinking about the consequences that had just happened. He looked up to see the other careless party, and the first thing he noticed was the leaf symbol engraved onto the protector tied around his arm.

Only, it _wasn't_ a he, but a _she_. The girl who looked no less than perhaps thirteen or fourteen had a forest green cloak that had been thrown back when they collided draped around her shoulders. Gaara could see the strange clothes she wore and knew that she wasn't someone who belonged in the city, even without the tell-tale Konoha mark.

The girl had pulled off her hood and Gaara met her cold eyes. _"So cold..."_ Gaara thought as his frosty-green eyes met the warm hazel that sent chills down his spine. _"Such a warm colour, but a horribly cold feeling..."_

xxxxx

Kohaku pulled off her hood, glaring at the person in front of her. Without any intention of uttering a single word, she helped herself up for the second time that day. She looked down and her brain properly registered the boy on the ground.

Judging by his rusty-red clothes as well as the shoes that were standard-issued for the Land of Wind dwellers, Kohaku could tell that the boy was obviously from this country. Her information-collecting instinct couldn't help but continue studying him as her eyes went over the leather strap with the Sunagakure protector tied around it and to the large pear-shaped object that lay on the ground. The redheaded boy saw her looking at his queer baggage and quickly retrieved it before standing up.

Well! He was taller than she had expected!

Gritting her teeth, she looked up to meet the boy's eyes. Doing so, her own eyes travelled over the dark circles around his eyes and landed on the tattoo on his head. Love. Pfft. He must be a lily-livered, sorry excuse of a shinobi if _love_ was something he chose to parade around.

xxxxx

Gaara looked down upon the girl who was scrutinizing him in a manner that he found infuriating. "What are you looking at?" he asked. As an afterthought, he decided to add, "Chibi."

Kohaku's eyebrow twitched as she still kept her hands to herself. "Who are you to knock people down and calling them Chibi?" she asked in an even tone, "Don't go around disparaging people whom you have no connections with,"

"Well, Chibi, as far as I know, you're the one at fault as well," Gaara answered back, "And I do not go around knocking people down. In fact, I hardly do it. You're so small that people can't help but not notice you,"

Kohaku set her jaw determinedly. She would not waste her precious time bickering with this silly peace-loving person. Pulling up her hood again, she turned around, muttering under her breath, "He's worse than Uzumaki-kun,"

Gaara's eyes widened for a moment when he heard his friend's name being uttered by Chibi. He quickly reached out for her shoulder and stopped her. "You know Naruto?"

"I know of of no such person," she replied bluntly, not turning around to look at him. She continued pulling herself away from Gaara.

Determined to weasel her relationship with the person whom inspired new things to him, Gaara followed the girl. "Hey, Chibi. Tell me, what's your relationship with Naruto?" he asked._ "He's supposed to be here with the rest of his team today,"_ he added silently.

"I assume you have heard of a customarily used phrase that people put to use when they want to be left alone," Kohaku said apathetically, "It is: Mind your own business,"

Keeping his cool, Gaara decided to switch the topic. Transitioning to general, light-hearted topics, he had learnt from none other than Naruto himself, could get people to let down their psychological guard.

"So you're from Konohagakure?"

"I'm not here to infiltrate anything. We're on a peace treaty with Sunagakure, if you haven't been brushing up on your political matters," Gaara saw some rustling beneath the girl's cloak. She was probably switching the protector around, as if to prevent further identification.

_"And yet you do not know who the current Kazekage is,_" Gaara thought as he gave the girl a dry look.

"Are you on a mission?" he continued conversationally, "Is that why you're passing through the Land of Wind?"

"That does not concern you in any way,"

"If it's your first time here, I'll show you around if you'd like,"

"I would like no such thing,"

Gaara watched as Kohaku scanned the area in front of them as they continued walking along the never-ending street. A light bulb seemed to switch on in the boy's head. "You're lost, aren't you?"

Kohaku adopted a contemptuous expression. "Being lost is only something that fools with no sense of navigation would do,"

"...and childish people?"

"Yes, and childish, infantile people,"

"...you're being childish and infantile,"

Kohaku - who was normally smooth with cryptic answers as Gaara had observed - simply gave the sand shinobi another glare. She kept quiet and continued looking around.

"So you're lost," Gaara answered for the less-than-willing-to-talk girl. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Kohaku gave the pestering redhead an annoyed look. "You know, if I had not known better," she said, for the first time properly talking to him, "I would have had the impression that you're someone who isn't unnecessarily noisy,"

That was true. Gaara in all honesty didn't normally chatter like a scatter-brained idiot, but how else was he going to get the unwilling girl to respond if he didn't act like Naruto?

"Putting that aside-" Gaara got cut off as Kohaku abruptly halted. "What's the matter?"

Nonchalantly, she pointed at a store beside them. A big advertisement flag was flapping slightly, with the words 'GREATEST MOCHI IN ALL OF THE LAND OF WIND'. Gaara looked at what she was pointing and back to her with an incredulous look. "You stopped just to point out the tea shop?"

Kohaku didn't give an answer as she slung her bag off her shoulder and started rummaging inside. After a few minutes of thorough digging, the auburn-haired girl sighed. "Stupid sandstorm," she muttered under her breath, "Blew away my _money_!!"

Gaara's ears only picked up Kohaku's first sentence. "You got separated from your team in the sandstorm?"

Kohaku stood still, a troubled look growing on her face. Gaara cocked his head to the side. "You can't find them?"

Kohaku now crossed her arms across her chest, deep in thought. She looked up at Gaara. "You. Sand shinobi."

Gaara realized that she was talking to him._ "I am **definitely** going to talk to your employer about your impertinence,"_ Gaara thought as a nerve pulsed at his temple. "My name's Gaara. Sabaku no Gaara,"

"Well, Sabaku-san, I know it's generally a sensitive question, but do you have any money with you?" Kohaku asked.

"What's your name?" Gaara asked.

"I asked you if you had any money, not ask you to ask me for my name,"

Gaara looked heavenwards. "Yes, I do have money. What about it?"

"I don't usually do this, but I'd like to borrow a certain amount of your money. I will reimburse the amount taken back to you as soon as I return to Konohagakure or obtain it by other means," she said, "If you'd like, I'll pay interest as well,"

Gaara felt for his money pouch in one of his pockets and withdrew it. He wondered why the Chibi suddenly wanted his money. Did she not have her own? "I'll lend you the money without the interest," he said, "But on one condition,"

"State them before I agree," Kohaku prompted.

"You tell me what you're doing here and where's your platoon."

Kohaku fidgeted beneath her cloak. Gaara watched Kohaku's lips move as she started muttering to herself again. The girl certainly did a lot of muttering!

xxxxx

"Peace-loving boy is such a busybody," Kohaku muttered softly, "I know I should keep my profile low. I should not disclose any mission information, especially if it is an S-ranked one. And my top priority now is to find Kakashi-nii and the others. But..." Her eyes slid over to the exposition of delicacies in the glass cases.

Mochi!!

Almost everyone assumed that Kohaku was a person who could not be affected by anything, well, they were wrong. The girl had the most unexpected Achilles' Heel of all: Mochi. The sweet, soft, squishy treat that varied in size, shape and flavour. The steely girl had a liking-no, an _obsession_ for it.

Well, Kohaku never said she was a perfect person. If there was anyone out there who worshipped her for being the ultimate statuesque shinobi with no weaknesses...too bad.

xxxxx

After what seemed like the adjournment of Kohaku's inner council, the girl looked at Gaara again.

"Despite the fact that you just stated two conditions, I will agree to these terms," she said solemnly, "Now, I'd like for you to follow me into this tea shop,"

xxxxx

"She's about this tall-," Kakashi lifted his hand up till it reached three inches below his shoulder, "-and has auburn hair and hazel-brown eyes. She's got a green cloak on, and judging the situation at hand, I'd probably guess the hood of the cloak will be up," The silver-haired shinobi let his hand relax as he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him. "Well?"

The man rolled up the sleeves of his brown robes. "Not a lot of people here wear the colour green, but I haven't seen anyone fitting your description so far,"

Naruto poked a clay bowl curiously. "Sakura-chan, this bowl here looks weirder!" he whispered, "It's got a snake indent in it!"

The pink-haired kunoichi gave her friend an annoyed look. "Aren't you the least bit worried about Kohaku?"

Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. She said she was gonna be fine, so I guess she'll be fine," he said with a grin, "I don't particularly care for her, but a teammate's still a teammate. And if Tsunade-baa-chan says that Shishimiya's capable, then she's capable,"

Sakura let out a heavy sigh. "Still! She's still so young!"

"You don't even know how old she is,"

"Naruto, just _shut _up,"

After the three of them had regained consciousness, Kakashi led his subordinates towards Meikyuu no Suna, their place of rendezvous with the Sunagakure proxies, to find their lost teammate. They had been going from shop to shop, listing down descriptions of the auburn-haired girl, but they had no luck yet. They had been searching for almost an hour and a half already.

The wind-chime hanging above the entrance of the store they were in tinkled as an elderly lady entered the store. "Welcome!!" the store-owner greeted, "Yuriko-san!! Nice to see you!!"

"Nice to see you, Yoshio-san," the elderly lady replied with a nod.

The store-owner smiled before turning back to Kakashi and scratched his head. "Well, does this girl you're looking for have any recurrent characteristics that are noticeable?"

"Well, apart from the vibrant colours she's probably wearing right now, she speaks in a different manner," Kakashi said, remembering the way Kohaku used to speak.

Wait. _Used to?_ Kakashi shook his head slightly. No! There was no way he was going to declare his subordinate dead without trying to find her!

The lady that had just entered looked up from a vase that she had been inspecting. "Excuse me, Yoshio-san, but what are you discussing with this gentleman here?"

"Ahh, Yuriko-san, you see, this shinobi-san here got caught in a sandstorm with those youngsters over there-," he gestured towards Naruto and Sakura, "-and apparently, they got separated from another one of them. She's a young girl. Have you seen her?"

The woman thought for a moment. "Well, while I was doing some shopping over at the food district, I did see a strange girl in a hooded cloak. She was with a young man. I did hear a bit of their conversation by accident," she said, "Such a queer way of talking!! She didn't speak like children her age speak nowadays. Such precise and measured tones!"

Naruto and Sakura had overheard what the lady had said. They rushed over to join Kakashi. "Is it true!? Where is this food district!?" they asked in unison.

"Please tell us," Kakashi said, "We'd really appreciate it,"

_"Young man?"_ Kakashi thought, _"I hope she's not stupid enough to get herself involved with local punks,"_

The lady moved outside the store and pointed North. "The food district is over there. It's the closest district to the main gate. You won't miss it if you go straight North,"

"Thank you!!" the three of them left quickly.

xxxxx

Gaara blinked as Kohaku calmly read the menu in her hands. "You wanted to eat?"

Kohaku looked up. "What I do is none of your business," she said, "I agreed to your conditions when you said you would lend me money. No extras included,"

Incredible! She was lost and presumably penniless at the moment with no means of communication, and she had made the right choice by asking for money. Gaara had assumed she was going to the nearest aviary to rent a bird to send a message, but instead, she wanted to _eat?_

_"This Chibi is hard to understand,_" Gaara thought, shaking his head.

Kohaku stood up and went to talk to a waitress. Gaara watched as Kohaku spoke to the girl - who had a confused look on her face - before sighing and pointing at various spots in the menu before walking back to the table.

"You know, not everyone can understand the way you talk," Gaara commented as Kohaku resumed her seat.

The girl gave the redhead an icy look. "Nothing is wrong with the way I speak,"

Gaara gave her a skeptical look. "I don't think so," he mumbled.

"I don't care for what you think," Kohaku said blithely, "Concluding this discussion, I will now answer to the two conditions you stated earlier before magnanimously lending me your funds,"

Oh yes. Finally, following the eccentric girl around was going to pay off!! He could now weasel information out of her without being dissuaded! "I know you got separated from your team in the sandstorm earlier this morning, right?"

"You have my acquiescence,"

"Akwee-_what?_"

Kohaku rubbed the tips of her fingers on her forehead. "Yes, yes. I got separated,"Already, the girl was starting to feel lamentation for her decision to choose her personal interests before anything else.

"Are you looking for them?"

"...it should have been palpable when you were stalking me,"

"I was not stalking you!!"

"Any other questions relating to the whereabouts of my team and the reason as to why I'm in Meikyuu no Suna?"

Gaara gave the girl an irritated look before asking his next question. "Who's your team leader?"

Subsequently, the waitress from earlier came up to their table with a tray. Giving the unabashed kunoichi a wary look, the waitress set down several square plates laden with an assortment of mochi. Kohaku extended her thank you to the waitress before picking up a pair of chopsticks and putting a green glutinous ball inside her mouth.

Chewing and swallowing, the girl picked up her tea cup and sipped at it before giving Gaara a reply. "I'm afra-,"

"SHISHIMIYA!!"

The comfortable buzz of the tea-shop ceased as the patrons, including Gaara, turned to look at the source of the sudden outburst. Only the person who had been called was unconcernedly picking up her chopsticks again to eat other piece of mochi.

Gaara recognized the shock of blonde hair on the person's head. "Naruto!" he widened his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

Naruto tore his gaze away from the indulging girl and looked at his foreign friend. "Gaara!" a grin blossomed on his face as he advanced towards his friend and the still-undisturbed girl, "Fancy meetin' ya here!"

Gaara stood up from his seat to receive Naruto, and the buzz resurfaced again as everyone present resumed their business. "Where are Kakashi and Sakura?" he asked, "And that teammate of yours, Sai?"

Naruto gave Gaara a bemused look. "Didn't Tsunade-baa-chan tell you guys?" he asked, "About Sai's replacement, I mean. He's gone off on a solo mission, so someone else is filling in for him for the duration of this mission,"

"What?"

Naruto pointed at the Kohaku, who was slowly devouring the many pieces of mochi laid out in front of her on the table. "That kid over there," he said, "That's our temporary member. Her name's Shishimiya Kohaku,"

Gaara had never expected to be introduced to her in such a way.

* * *

Author: Comments? Criticism? Just press the link below!!

Luv,  
sakura-pichu16296


	4. Scratching the Surface

Author: I realize that it's been quite a while since I updated, but forgive me, I was a bit busy and had only limited time to write for my other stories. I'm horribly unorganized, but seriously, I'm trying to work on it! I'm not surprised if my readers have dwindled to zero, though. ;-;

**Thanks to:**  
My beta-reader _MidnightCherryBlossoms_ whom despite being lazy to beta-read for me, she still did it anyway :D  
_CRdragonPyro _  
_XxRikela-chanxX  
Child-1763  
leogirl321_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here except those that don't appear on Naru Wiki.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

"Uzumaki-kun," Kohaku greeted him with her usual expression of indifference.

"Kohaku! You're okay!"

At the sound of the familiar deep voice, Kohaku's eyes shifted towards the silver-haired jounin standing nearby. "Kakashi-nii. Have you lost contact with Haruno-san?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Nah. She's on the way here with some people we happened to meet," he said as he eyed the copious amounts of plates spread out before his subordinate, "Have you been here all this time?"

Feeling like he should remind them of his presence, Gaara subtly cleared his throat. Kohaku turned slightly, facing him. Thinking that she was about to make a cold remark on how he should disappear now that she was in contact with her teammates, the Suna leader was baffled when Kohaku bowed formally.

"Kazekage-sama, pardon my impertinence," her voice was toneless and detached, still the same as before. "Team Kakashi of Konohagakure has successfully contacted the Sunagakure convoys."

Black-rimmed eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you knew who I was?"

With a clearly condescending look, Kohaku said, "A shinobi should be well-informed and aware of political situations."

At the reiteration of her earlier statement, Gaara was puzzled. "Then why didn't you-?"

A pointed look passed between the two teenagers as Kohaku's icy brown eyes pierced through his own seafoam ones. "_She doesn't care at all!"_

"So this is the kid you were looking for, eh? What? Hey! It's Gaara!"

The gathered group turned to look at the person who had spoken. A teenaged girl dressed in black shinobi gear that was draped with a cloak that the Land of Wind dwellers donned and had dirty-blonde hair tied into four shocks of pigtails stood there, her expression one of pleasant surprise mixed with relief.

Accompanying her was a boy who seemed to be ignorant of the current weather conditions as he was dressed in a black full-body suit, his tanned faced lined with violet face-paint and the pink-haired medic-nin who wore the insignia of Konohagakure.

"Thank God you're okay," Temari seemed like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she tiredly fell back into the chair next to her youngest brother.

The titian-haired kunoichi shifted uncomfortably as everyone else made themselves more comfortable around the previously empty table. Picking up the remaining plates of mochi, Kohaku stood up and wordlessly moved to an unoccupied table far in a deserted corner.

As the others watched her in muted silence, Kankuro scratched the back of his head. "Gee, she's quite the ray of sunshine, isn't she?"

"Newsflash: She _hates_ people," Naruto said dryly, expression on his face matching the tone of his voice.

There was a scraping sound coming from Gaara's place as he pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'll go talk to her. Or try to."

A bewildered expression painted itself onto Naruto's face. Looking over to the corner where the covert Kohaku sat, he turned back to his team leader and medic-nin. "Since when did they become_ friends?" _he sounded extremely incredulous.

Temari snorted, lifting a pale eyebrow as she smirked grimly. "No matter how to look at it, it's more of a one-sided thing."

Indeed, while the crimson-haired Kazekage stood in front of the table where the copper-haired kunoichi sat, Kohaku had not at the least acknowledged his presence.

"And how do you expect me to forgive your rudeness?" the redhead demanded quietly, crossing his arms across his chest, a habit that he'd developed from a long time ago to better suit his fighting style.

Vacant chocolate eyes looked up disinterestedly. "Perhaps you have conceived a misconception, Kazekage-sama. This is by no means a show of impertinence; I merely have not reported myself for duty yet, only having made contact with the Sunagakure convoys and ergo, I am not required to entertain your presence when I am not on active duty."

Her lengthy reply grated painfully against Gaara's nerves. Keeping his temper in check, Gaara's voice trembled impatiently as he said, "I'm your _boss_. Emphasis on the 'boss' part."

"That is but another misconception on your part, Kazekage-sama," a dry look passed from Gaara towards Kohaku - she definitely meant no respect despite the honorific, "The one who is going to receive the mission reward is Tsunade-hime, so that makes you her 'boss'; as Tsunade-hime is then going to impart the pay to me, she has indefinitely assigned Kakashi-nii as my leader, hence and therefore Kakashi-nii is my direct chief in Tsunade-hime's stead."

Yet, another lengthy explanation and reply from the girl who spoke far beyond her age.

"…In other words, I'm not your boss."

"Unless explicitly stated and approved by the Hokage-sama that is Tsunade-hime."

This made Gaara take a mental note to send Tsunade a hawk-messenger with specific requests to relay instructions to Kohaku to remind the girl who her actual employer was. Damn that logic of hers that actually made sense to hell!

"This is not an order, but I believe we'll have to leave now if we're to make it back to Sunagakure by nightfall. We've wasted enough time as it is waiting for you to finish your food."

A cynical brow was lifted. "In case it evaded your notice - which in this case it clearly seems to have, Kazekage-sama - the only thing that is wasting our time right now is the conversation between you and I."

Gaara looked down for any evidence to refute the girl's statement, only to find empty plates stacked in a neat pile.

"Ooh. Burn."

"Input from you is unnecessary, Uzumaki-kun," Kohaku said with a cold look as she rose from her seat. She adjusted the forest-green cloak around her shoulders as she maneuvered her way seamlessly out of the cramped teashop.

Cerulean eyes flashed angrily as Naruto stalked out after her, all the while muttering, "Pompous little prick!" under his breath with a scowl, Sakura following after them.

Kakashi simply chuckled as he joined Gaara's side. The jounin held a high regard for the red-haired teen, but he had known Gaara before his days as a Kazekage. Informality would always be there. "Sorry about Kohaku," he apologized, "She's just not used to gathering in a big group of people, because of her trai-, I mean, she's not good at socializing. That is all."

Not even batting an eyelid at Kakashi's slight error, Gaara's eyes trailed after Kohaku. "I can see that," his voice was tight.

"What do you think of her? Not as good as Sai by a long shot, but capable and professional, don't you think?"

"As much as I appreciate your concern, Kakashi-san, I'll have to leave your question unanswered for another day. I have yet to gauge her abilities, especially for a shinobi of her rank."

A lack of follow up from Kakashi slightly puzzled the Kazekage, when the jounin merely blinked his eyes once before pulling out and flipping open his ever-present copy of Icha Icha Paradise, but he brushed it off. After all, Kakashi usually was one that didn't talk much.

xxxxx

Naruto felt a dry tickle in his throat, letting the itch escalate until it escaped his mouth in the form of a cough. He let out a heavy sigh as he contined to trudge through the sandy desert, which Kankuro had cheerfully dubbed as a wasteland.

Kohaku's presence still unnerved the blonde, despite him spending the previous day in her company. He had to laud her for her quick thinking and actions when the sandstorm had hit them, but having her as a sudden replacement for Sai, just when he'd gotten to accept the pale-skinned boy was something that he could not assimilate easily.

"So, this is the one that's the replacement for Sai?"

Naruto was visibly startled as Temari's voice broke through his hazy train of thoughts. "Obviously so," he snapped grumpily.

Temari raised a golden eyebrow. "Being bitchy now, are we?"

Naruto glowered, blue eyes glittering with irritation. The Sunagakure ambassador was not only known for her proficiency in wielding her iron fan, but as well as her sharp, seemingly hereditary, tongue. Every word she uttered to him seemed to be dry with sarcasm, something which Naruto did not appreciate.

"Whatever."

"I thought you liked people."

"You thought wrong."

"Aren't you always preaching on how everyone can be good, as long as they have loved ones to protect or some other sappy shit? The same whatever-it-is you basically evangelized to Gaara?"

Despite her crude way of putting it, Temari had a point. Her face held a smug smirk at the sight of the disgruntled look that appeared on the younger blonde's face.

"It would be nice if you stopped talking behind my back once in a while," Gaara suddenly put in, a detached expression on his face as he turned his head slightly to look at his sister and friend.

Naruto responded with a fake laugh. "When are we going to reach the village anyway?" Naruto decided to change the subject, "It seems like we've walked a really long distance already. And look! The sun's already starting to go down!"

Taking the anything but subtle hint with a roll of her eyes, Temari squinted to look ahead of them. "In a few, actually. I can vaguely make out the outline of the gates."

"We're home!"

Kankuro gleefully loped the last spurt of distance between them and sandy village, giving the guard on sentry duty a high-five. "Haven't seen you in a while!"

The palpably bewildered guard blinked in confusion. "K-Kankuro-sama!"

Gaara shot his brother a commanding glare. "Kankuro. Behave. We've only been gone a few days anyway."

Brushing off Gaara's reprimand lightly, the puppeteer easily stepped through the open gates to the village. "Y'know, with all this 'working together to create a better future' thing going on since the Akatsuki attack, I've gotten attached to everyone!"

Gaara let out the tiniest of sighs; Kankuro was definitely not as fearsome and ruthless when he was not in battle mode. "Yes, yes. Now leave your chummy BFF stories for another time. We have to get Team Kakashi settled, and to collect the mission reward for the bandit eradication."

Kohaku held no expression other than one devoid of any emotion as she stepped through the gate, going up to the counter where another Suna shinobi was stationed. Without hesitating, her hand slipped into her bag and drew out the official passport and visa that everyone on Team Kakashi had been given.

The guard - a stocky man in his early thirties; most likely a jounin or a chuunin judging by the fawn-colored vest he donned - eyed her as his hand holding the stamp of approval reluctantly hovered over the documents. "Aren't you a bit too young for a mission of this rank?" he asked as he flipped through the documents in the file he had traded for the stamp. The big, glaring 'S' on the page made him doubtful.

Kohaku, not reacting hotly to the age jibe as was expected, remained apathetic, save for the icy look glazing over her eyes. "I suggest that you check the documents properly. I assure you, I am unequivocally part of the platoon sent for this mission."

Naruto, standing behind her as he waited for his turn, was now ready to find a sand pillar to abuse his forehead with. He wondered if Kohaku's grandiloquence was intentional or whether it was a habitual speech that she'd picked up in her younger years. He growled softly in frustration as many questions stemmed from his unintentional observation, knowing quite well that none of them could be answered, for Kohaku was hardly a loquacious person.

"But, well, y'know, visas and passports nowadays are easy to forge…" The dubious guard flipped through the file thoroughly, and sure enough, Kohaku's picture came up in between the pages, along with Kakashi's, Naruto's and as well as Sakura's. "Well!"

Kohaku narrowed her eyes as she directed an icy glare at the guard. "Well indeed."

"Welcome to Suna, I guess," the baffled Suna jounin gave an embarrassed cough as he stamped the visa and passport with the bright red stamp of approval.

Gathering the documents, Kohaku wordlessly walked away and stood by the archway welcoming visitors and shinobi returning home, waiting for the rest of her team. Naruto stepped up to the guard next. "Here ya go!" he slid over his own passport and visa.

"Gonna see you around for quite a while, eh, Naruto?" the guard was familiar with the hyperactive teen, who was quite well-known within the shinobi community for his outrageous antics and talent.

"You bet 'cha!"

"Not to be rude or anything, but what's with the new morbid kid? Wasn't the replacement supposed to be a guy?"

Naruto shrugged with a sour look. "Eh. Don't ask me. Sai's got some solo mission for some strange reason, and I don't really wanna bother with her."

A surprised brow lifted. "I'm pretty sure, if the rumors are right, that you're famous for being a big-hearted kid; accepting anyone and everyone."

Naruto's mind blanked as he could not think of anything to say. His eyebrows knitted together, settling his thoughts onto the guard's words. His cornwall eyes moved to the corner, eyeing the detached girl standing waiting for him and their teammates. For some reason, the titian-haired girl had a disturbing resemblance to Sai in terms of personality and actions.

Emotionless? Check.

Blunt to the point of rudeness? Double check.

Secretive? Did he even need confirmation for that?

Naruto's eyes narrowed into slits as the memory of the night before involuntarily resurfaced in his mind. His hand crept up to the place where the girl had had the blade of the kunai held against his throat. He could even remember the shock he felt when he had been attacked. The girl was just about the most paranoid person he'd ever crossed paths with.

The more he dwelt upon the matter, the more suspicion nagged at the blonde as he withdrew his passport and visa, walking towards the archway to wait for Kakashi and Sakura.

xxxxx

"...And your quarters will be here."

Temari paused to gesture to the line of sand-coloured apartments standing before them. "Our shinobi all live in this residential area - at least the ones without families of their own. A bachelor-bachelorette place, if you'd like."

After entering the village with no problems, Gaara and Kankuro had excused themselves to collect the reward money in the headquarters for the Suna shinobi. Temari had appointed herself with the task of settling their foreign visitors into the village.

Kakashi inspected the key that Temari had given him. "And all four of us are given a unit of our own?"

"With separate heterosexual bedrooms and two bathrooms," Temari confirmed with a brisk nod of her head.

"We don't have to pay rent too!" Naruto exclaimed exuberantly as he whipped out his own key, inserting it into the keyhole and unlocking the door.

Slipping off her flats, Kohaku walked into the apartment, standing in the middle of the living area. "I would ask of you to choose your rooms now, as I will take the last room available." she announced quietly, making no move to inspect the modestly furnished apartment.

Sakura quickly shook her head as she stepped inside after taking off her heeled sandals. "Oh no, Kohaku! You should also have a fair chance to choose your own room," she said smilingly.

Without missing a beat, Kohaku replied, "I appreciate your consideration, Haruno-san, but I do not wish to partake in something extraneous like the allocation of rooms."

"I'm going to assume that weird word is probably along the lines of useless," Naruto lifted a cynical eyebrow, "Being nice now, are we? Or is there a hidden motive?"

Kohaku swept a brief glance of scorn towards Naruto's direction. "I merely do not wish to involve myself into a gratuitous petty trifle with any of you concerning room situations."

The orange-clad blonde made a face. "And here I thought you actually liked Kakashi-sensei."

Giving him no response except another one of her cold glares, Kohaku ignored his assertion. Kakashi sighed wearily as he lifted a gloved hand, placing it on Kohaku's head and ruffling her head. "Whatever floats your boat, Kohaku."

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto took off his sandals as well and followed after his mentor, along with Sakura, into the hallway that led to the rooms.

"Thank you for your time, Sabaku-san," Kohaku bowed her head curtly, "I suppose it would be rude if we engaged you any further."

Taken aback by Kohaku's direct formality, Temari took a subconscious step backwards. The blonde chuckled, feeling uncomfortable with Kohaku staring at her intently with eyes that didn't say anything. Now she knew why Naruto acted the way he did around the girl. Temari felt like doing the same, except without the part where she disliked her immensely, since she hardly knew her.

"Yeah, well, it's my job as Gaara's diplomatic assistant."

"Good day."

And she closed the door. Temari sighed, slightly affronted by Kohaku's actions despite the fact that she hadn't slammed the door in her face.

"Guess I'll go report to Gaara then. He should be back in his office by now if the elders have caught him..."

xxxxx

"You dug up her file?"

Temari found herself in Gaara's office, which previously housed the preceding Kazekages of their village. Her iron fan leaned against the wall beside her. "Don't you think that's a bit, I don't know, creepy?"

Gaara sat in his seat, dressed in the formal attire that the elders had miraculously managed to force him into when they had ambushed him in the headquarters as he went in to collect the reward money. "Nothing in the world of shinobi is 'creepy', Temari," Gaara said as he pushed the cone-shaped hat that had the kanji for 'wind' away as he rested his chin against his clasped hands.

"Tried to," Kankuro corrected Temari's earlier question, having taken off his favourite cat-eared hat. Spiky, unruly short brown hair stuck up in all directions. "Gaara asked for her file, but everything inside's pretty basic and useless; name, age, birthdate, height and weight..."

Temari rubbed her chin in thoughtfulness. "To be honest with you, I don't think there's anything about her that needs to have an investigation launched. She could probably be like Kakashi; secretive and aloof because it's in her DNA."

xxxxx

Listening to his closest subordinates and siblings talking, a thought nagged at the back of Gaara's mind. He narrowed his dark-circled eyes, trying to figure out the ebbing figment in his mind.

His frosty-green orbs travelled to the pile of files consisting of the information of the shinobi under his command that he'd yet to find time to archive properly. The top file had the basic information of the person; name, age, birthdate, height, weight, rank and number of missions...

_"Wait a minute!"_

Gaara's eyes widened. He swiftly - and discreetly - without the notice of the conversing Temari and Kankuro, pulled out Naruto's file to compare it with Kohaku's, to affirm the suspicion clouding his mind.

Naruto's had his rank - Chuunin, finally - and the number of missions he had gone on since his genin days. However, neither sort of information could be seen on Kohaku's file. Gaara narrowed his eyes once again, quietly setting down the files.

xxxxx

Temari noticed Gaara's unusual silence. Well, it wasn't _that _unusual, but Gaara usually had a word or two to put in whenever it was just the three of them chatting about nonsensical things. "What's up, Gaara?"

Gaara looked up, his expression one of nonchalance. "Get me a messenger hawk. I need to send a message to the Godaime Hokage."

"To tell her that the Team Kakashi platoon has arrived as scheduled?"

No verbal answer, save for a single, mute nod of the young Kazekage's head.

"But the weather's been a bit unpredictable lately. Even the best hawks'll have trouble navigating properly. The message'll probably take longer than usual to reach her," said Kankuro, as he thoughtfully looked outside the window behind his brother.

"Regardless of that, I still have to send one."

Temari nodded empathically as she picked up her fan. "I'll go get a bird then. You write the message now. Come on, Kankuro," she headed for the door.

"Right. See you at dinner, Gaara," Kankuro picked up his summoning scrolls and followed after their sister.

xxxxx

And Gaara was left alone. He frowned, his features slightly marred, as he pulled out a slip of paper and a pencil.

Poising the pencil over the paper, Gaara began to write, words formulating in his mind as he wrote them down. He knew it would be only a slight chance that Tsunade would answer him truthfully, because he knew of the inner workings of the village; the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes as they orchestrated things to go according to their every whim and fancy. But, in the probable case that he was being overcautious and had let his imagination run wild, it was a possible clerical error.

_"But, I've got to trust my instincts."_

* * *

Author: And there we go! I must say, I do hope it satisfied you! I tried my best to recover my writing skills, because I'd abandoned it for a while in favour of my textbooks and exercise questions. Ah, woe betide the fate of the near-graduating student! Meh, I shouldn't bore you with my whiny tirades, so as usual, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,

sakura-pichu16296


	5. Don't Be Biased

Author: So I actually managed to finish typing a chapter in a span of a few days! I actually completed this a few days ago, but held out in posting it up until I hit the weekend. Unfortunately, I was busy all Sunday, so right now it's Monday morning...x-x

**Thanks to:**  
My beta-reader _MidnightCherryBlossoms_ whom despite being lazy to beta-read for me, she still did it anyway :D  
_smiler411_  
_Jessluvswriting_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here except those that don't appear on Naru Wiki.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

_

* * *

_

"Morning!"

Kohaku looked up from her cereal. Kakashi stood in front of her, a gloved hand up in greeting and a smile in his visible eye. "Good morning to you, Kakashi-nii."

The jounin pulled out the chair opposite where the girl was seated. "So, no breakfast for your good ol' senior?" he asked humorously as he pulled the pot of coffee sitting in the middle of the table towards himself.

Kohaku flatly shook her head. "I am not required to play a part in domestic housework in this mission. If you need me to do my portion of laving the living quarters, I will comply. But, I see no need, however, to take charge and be accountable for meals," a hand snaked over the abandoned spoon beside the half-empty cereal bowl, "And even if I were assigned to do so, I would have to do all the requisite gauging of everyone's nutritional needs before preparing their meals."

Kakashi, mid-way in pouring out coffee into a mug, blinked.

"I have no idea what you just said," Words that Kakashi intended to say were stolen out of his mouth by Naruto, who stood beside the table, clad only in a black shirt and orange shorts.

Unaffected by her teammate's sloppy morning attire, Kohaku resumed to eating her breakfast. The blonde boy lifted a brow. "And good morning to you, too."

The spoon-holding hand paused, and brown eyes looked up. "But I did not greet you in any way."

After an awkward silence passed, Naruto walked to a wall and starting banging his forehead against it, while Kakashi chuckled. "Just go back to eating, Kohaku," he said, pushing the steaming mug of coffee back to the middle of the table.

As it was obvious Kakashi was not going to drink it, Naruto took the coffee for himself. Kakashi's visible eye twinkled in amusement. "She's no good at detecting sarcasm," he explained softly, gesturing towards the girl.

"No _kidding_."

xxxxx

"...So Kakashi and Sakura are both assigned a class of ten students each," Temari's tone was brisk and professional, traces of sarcasm well-hidden away.

The late morning found Team Kakashi standing in Gaara's office, with the former listening to Temari relaying the mission details, which she hadn't done the day before, to them.

Naruto jumped up when the ambassador failed to mention his name. "What about me?"

At this, Temari allowed herself to roll her eyes. "Not only are you short and annoying, you also have a bad habit of interrupting, you know that?"

Naruto gave her a sheepish grin of apology. "Sorry."

Temari sighed. "As I was saying before he interrupted me, both he and Shishimiya will be in charge of one class together."

_Together._

Kakashi and Sakura raised an eyebrow at Temari's announcement. Naruto, on the other hand, had his jaws wide open in an unbecoming fashion while Kohaku remained as impassive as ever.

Temari uttered a 'tsk' as his reaction. "Shut your mouth, shorty. I can see your tonsils."

"But whyyyyyy?" Naruto regained his speech abilities. He had dragged out the last word in a futile attempt to whine his way out of the clearly unfavorable situation.

Kohaku raised a hand, looking up at Temari as she boldly met the blonde's eyes. "Do we have to report together or individually? And by being in charge of one class together means that we both have an equal amount of authority over the students, I surmise?"

Kohaku's immunity - or rather, ability to overlook certain things never ceased to amaze Gaara, as he quietly watched the proceedings with a careful eye on the girl. Temari smirked as she hastened to answer her.

"Individual reports, no. You both have to work out who's going to write the report or to do it together. And for your other question, yes. If you need to sort out things with Naruto, I guess I'll end the briefing now," the fan-wielder turning to her youngest brother, "Anything to add, Gaara?"

Gaara jumped at this opportunity. He nodded. "I would like to talk to Shishimiya, please."

Taking the somewhat enigmatic hint to leave the room, a bewildered Temari motioned for the others to follow her. And then, Gaara and Kohaku were alone together once more.

xxxx

"It's Kohaku, right, Chibi?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes into his best glare of intimidation in an attempt to petrify Kohaku and draw a reaction other than the normal iciness out of her. She remained staring at him, devoid of any emotion. Gaara was suddenly reminded of rows of porcelain dolls staring out of a window in a toy shop he'd passed by earlier in the morning. Their blank, painted eyes reminded him of her own.

"It is my predilection to be referred to by my last name, Kazekage-sama, and not my first name or that appellation."

Well, at least she still talked norma- who was Gaara kidding? Everything about the copper-haired girl had the scales tipping to the side of unusual. It had been apparent when he'd followed her yesterday, personally experiencing whatever she did to other people. She was no different when she was on duty, save for the name-calling.

"Well, it is my preference to be referred to as Gaara, Shishimiya."

This extracted a reaction from Kohaku. Her brown eyes slid into a suspicious stare. Clearly, Kohaku did not trust Gaara as much as he had expected. "If there is nothing worth to discuss, I will take my leave, Kazekage-sama. Please excuse me."

She turned her heel and started walking out. Gaara drummed his fingers thoughtfully, before calling out. "Wait."

She stopped moving immediately. She turned her head slightly. "Yes, Kazekage-sama?"

"So, Chibi," If she wasn't going to drop the 'Kazekage-sama', he might as well use the nickname. "What are the chances of me guessing that you probably like to read?"

xxxx

Confusion fluttered over Kohaku's face before she caught herself and froze her features back into the mask of stoicism she usually wore. What was with the lily-livered Kazekage of Sunagakure? Did the peace-loving boy make it a personal mission of his to constantly fool around instead of being serious like all leaders of the hidden villages should?

Granted, she didn't exactly recognize his status in a personal view, but it was her duty as a shinobi to respect those of higher rank, so hence the formality within his name. She had recognized him at once, but because of the specific instructions for the team to meet the rendezvous party, Kohaku had merely kept the information to herself.

"Remote," her voice was icy as she turned around again, continuing her walk towards the door.

"I do have special privileges for seventy percent off mochi here in the teashops."

Kohaku paused this time without being asked to without turning her head to look at him. "It seems like you are fallacious. I may be fond of the aforementioned food, but I do know where to draw the line." From the corner of her eye, she glared at Gaara. "Do not think take me for an ignoramus. Do not judge a book by its cover."

And with those stiff words, Kohaku noiselessly left the room without uttering anything else.

xxxx

Gaara wasn't the least bit surprised by the way the girl had acted, but her last words had left a lot for him to ponder about, albeit it was a well-used saying. The way Kohaku had said them made it seem like a hint or warning of sorts.

Puzzled by the sudden spring of doubt running through his mind, Gaara pushed back into his plush office chair and ghosted his fingers across his lips, deep in thought.

xxxx

"This is my lesson plan. Tons of ninjutsu, tons of taijutsu and I'm not too sure about genjutsu, but I guess I'll try!"

Naruto grinned enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting his disdain for the auburn-haired kunoichi, who was currently looking at him with a condescending look. The two of them were sitting in an empty classroom, as they, along with Kakashi and Sakura, had been given a day to work out their lesson plans. They had been given free reign to teach the students as they deemed fit, and without doubt, Kakashi was probably going to use his favorite shortcuts while Sakura was definitely going to take the theoretical approach, which left the two others to sort out things by themselves.

Kakashi had dropped by earlier, saying that he'd already worked everything out - in other words, he was going by instinct - and had wanted to see how things were working over in their place. Naruto had groused to his mentor, begging him for the reason why he and Kohaku were sharing a class.

_"But Naruto," _the silver-haired jounin had said, _"It's not like you're the most organized and responsible person around. And besides, two heads are better than one, right?"_

And he'd disappeared, saying that he had 'business' to do._ "Bah," _Naruto thought darkly, _"He's probably reading that boring porno of his."_

Kohaku picked up a pencil, and spread out a sheet of blank paper. "As gratifying as your suggestion sounds, your method needs to be balanced out for best results," she said placidly, her hand gliding over the paper as the pencil created strokes, "Alternating the trainings to once every three days could be a start. And also, we need to know the basics they have learnt thus so far. As we are to be mentors for these eventual shinobi, we need to consider the best course of action-"

"Which is why it's better if we skip the intro and go straight to the main bit!" Naruto interrupted vehemently. He was definite that his luck had run out. No one in their right mind could possibly agree that the both of them could work together properly. He just couldn't see it happening! What with Kohaku being uptight and all…

xxxx

Kohaku was usually unperturbed when it came to aggravating people like Naruto, but this was a mission. A low-key one with only a slight chance of any serious combating, but one of high importance. Why couldn't the loud boy see it?

Kohaku's eyelids lowered, trying to block out all thoughts of possibly shutting Naruto up permanently. She'd met lots of people like him, but he was, by so far in her opinion, the worst.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," Kohaku said in a tight voice, "A house is not built without laying its foundation. Foundation is the paramount part, for without it, the house could collapse. Please try to compare this to the way you intend to indoctrinate the students."

Kohaku blithely noted the way Naruto's eyebrows knitted together, and the way his lower lip stuck out in displeasure. His eyes narrowed into incensed slits. Clearly, Naruto was either unhappy with the way she had put down his idea or he was still seething about the way they had been thrown together. Either way, Kohaku knew Naruto still disregarded her as a true member of Team Kakashi.

No matter, for Kohaku did not care for anything of the sort. The only thing of worth to her was the mission given to her, and she would complete it without fail, even if it had to come to violence. For now, though, violence didn't seem to play into the equation.

xxxx

The next day saw a very excited Naruto and a detached Kohaku standing in the middle of a ring of prospective shinobi. Naruto preferred the outdoors, and Kohaku had no preferences, so the class was being conducted in the sandy compound of the academy. Each of the students were clad in different materials of clothing, all with colours that blended well with the sandy surroundings of the village. As was to be expected, all ten were immediately taken by the free-spirited blonde, who was currently regaling them with tales of being a qualified shinobi. Kohaku, on the other hand, could be considered a piece of eldritch furniture that none of them bothered to go near.

Putting it short: Things seemed pretty bleak for the Naruto-Kohaku pair.

"So these clones are actually better than the normal ones?" a starry-eyed child asked Naruto as a shadow clone of himself draped an arm around the real Naruto.

"Yep! They're super-helpful for ambushes and fighting!" Naruto confirmed with a toothy grin. "I learnt it for my own final exams in the academy!"

The students immediately burst into another round of chattering, all begging the blue-eyed boy to teach them how to make their own shadow clones. Kohaku, tight-lipped, was evidently displeased with the way things were turning out.

xxxx

At the suggestion of learning how to make their own shadow clones, Kohaku was alerted by two things:

One, the shadow clone technique was a forbidden technique only used by jounins and ANBU. A forbidden _Konohagakure _technique. Allying only went so far, and Naruto had crossed the line.

And two, Kohaku could at least pick out a fair amount of students that had no idea how to control their chakra.

So, she opened her mouth for the first time. "I doubt that would be a good idea," she said, her voice loud and clear over the incoherent mix of chattering and conversations.

As the noise ceased, Naruto looked at her in skepticism. "What do you mean? It's not like it's a super-technique that'll devastate the world of shinobi or anything," he snorted sarcastically.

Kohaku threw him an icy look, which was meant for him to stop talking. "I would like for all ten of you to be truthful: How many of you have absolute control of your chakra?"

Her question brought about absolute silence. Without any prompting, Kohaku continued. "A technique cannot be properly executed without proper handling of your own chakra. Use too little, you might as well not try; use too much, you waste your reserve for fighting," her voice rang loud and clear in the silent compound as the students stared at the girl who was finally speaking, "Basics are important, but I doubt any of you understand why."

xxxx

Naruto threw Kohaku a glare. "As a shinobi, it's always best to trust your instincts," he growled through gritted teeth, "And screw basics! When it comes down to the real thing, you only have your gut to depend on and the belief to do the best you can!"

Obviously, Naruto did not appreciate being reminded of when he'd failed the exam for another time, despite Kohaku not doing it intentionally. His lack of chakra control - which he would only learn later with the tutelage of Kakashi in the Land of Waves - was what had caused him to fail so much. God, why did Kohaku have to make things so difficult for him?

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Uzumaki-kun," Kohaku's voice was coated in ice, "I do not recall a part where instincts and belief had anything to do with the power of great shinobi,"

A corner of Naruto's eye twitched, visibly angered by Kohaku's interference and invalidation of his words. Here he was, trying to inspire a bunch of aspiring shinobi, and all Kohaku's words were doing was shoot down every single one of his statements with words of refutation. Now he was even more convinced that Kohaku was just like how Sai used to be - or maybe even worse. Sai, albeit the fact it wasn't whole-hearted, at least managed to stay civil with that infuriating false smile of his. But the apathetic face of Kohaku was on an entirely different level. Naruto wondered how the academy students even managed to put up with her prior to her joining Team Kakashi.

"I give up!" Naruto threw his hands into the air, starting to stomp out of the circle, "It's useless! It's not gonna work, no matter what Kakashi-sensei says!"

He was referring to what Kakashi had said about both of them being able to work together. He could not see it happening at all. "Anyone who doesn't want to stay with this anal, sorry excuse of a shinobi can follow me to another place where we won't be bothered!" he growled as he walked away.

All the students - no surprise there - immediately stood up, some with a bit of hesitation, and followed after the hot-headed blonde. Kohaku was left alone, unaffected by Naruto's anger.

xxxx

"I would like to know what are you doing here when you're supposed to be teaching my village's next generation of shinobi."

Gaara had been in the library to pull out a few books of reference from the restricted section to help with his paperwork, and so you could imagine his surprise when he found Kohaku, skillfully tucked away in the remotest corner of the central library with a pile of dusty books next to her on the table. If he hadn't been looking for the only copy of a book which Kohaku had happened to take, Gaara wouldn't have found her.

The librarian's own words had been,_ "An eccentric child; you know, Gaara-sama, one of the Konoha shinobi you employed to come here?"_

The 'eccentric' and 'Konoha' was all Gaara needed to know that it was Kohaku she'd been talking about.

"Is it part of the lesson plans or something like that?"

Kohaku, despite her emotionless face, wasn't in the best of moods at the moment. Naruto's insurgency had left her with nothing else to do, and at the doors of disemployment. Seeing Gaara was the very last thing she'd wanted at the moment.

"No," she might as well not lie, "Uzumaki-kun led a mutiny that revolted against me, so instead of frittering my time away, I decided to come here."

"Mutiny? Wait a moment," Gaara carefully deciphered her words in his head. "Oh. The students don't like you?"

It took all Kohaku had to not lose her patience with the redheaded Kazekage. "That is not what the word 'mutiny' means, but in a wider range, then yes."

Gaara gave the girl an uncharacteristic smirk. "Can't say I'm surprised, Chibi,"

"Kazekage-sama, I appreciate your candor," Kohaku's eyes narrowed at the nickname, "But I'm afraid we will have to discuss the allocation of teams. Would it be reasonable if I were to be paired with someone else from the team? Kakashi-nii, perhaps?"

Only then did Gaara realize that Kohaku referred to Kakashi by his name, much less as her older brother. This confused him, because common sense told him that they weren't related in any way, and also because Kohaku wasn't exactly the easiest person to make friends with.

"_Kakashi-nii_?" his voice was incredulous.

Kohaku showed no signs of answering Gaara's unspoken question, and instead pretended to not hear it. "Uzumaki-kun and I have different convictions, which led to the discord earlier. I feel like I will be able to cooperate better with Kakashi-nii."

There it was again. Kakashi's first name and the suffix for older brother. No 'Hatake's or '-san's.

Gaara was flummoxed indeed. Well, he'd leave the investigating for later. Now, he had to deal with work problems. "Chibi, I can't change the assignments now. It's all archived and sealed already," he said in his best authoritative tone, "I advise you to fix your problems with Naruto if you don't want the mission to be aborted. Wouldn't look to good on your resume now, would it? Abortion because you refuse to cooperate?"

Kohaku wordlessly sent Gaara an icy look. It was, by no means, blackmail, but Gaara's words were infuriating all the same.

"If you call yourself a shinobi, then have the sense to see and accept your mistakes. I don't care about pride or anything useless like that. As Kazekage, I do not take to petty fights kindly, especially when my village's future is involved," Gaara continued, "I don't know much about you, but it would be best for you if you took the initiative to try to understand the people around you. Naruto, especially. He hates it when people are cryptic, much less when they're nothing like him. Stop being childish and act professionally."

xxxx

Kohaku was taken aback by Gaara's words, albeit she didn't show it. Now she knew, despite the fact he had that silly tattoo on his forehead and tendencies to ask pointless questions, Gaara was unusually wise for his age; fit to be the Kazekage to bring Sunagakure to a new era.

Still, she didn't like him. Or trust him for that matter.

"It would, perhaps, be rude of me to ask, but why do you support Uzumaki-kun so much?" she asked, turning her cold gaze upon him, "After all, even if I may have made many mistakes on my part, Uzumaki-kun is no more innocent than I am, either. I wasn't aware the Kazekage of Sunagakure doled out special treatment for those considered to be more than acquaintances and mere subordinates."

xxxx

Biased. She was calling him biased!

Gaara fumed quietly beneath his cool exterior. "Naruto has helped me more times than you can imagine," he replied smoothly, "It is only because of him that I am here today. But that does not mean I do not find any fault in him."

For the second time, Kohaku raised a cynical eyebrow. "To confute that statement, I would refer you to the conversation we were having earlier," her voice was deathly cold, "Kazekage-sama, it seems as if you have heard Uzumaki-kun's side of the story, and not mine, despite the fact it is the other way round."

Gaara couldn't deny the fact that he hadn't thought about it properly. He'd only been focused on the way Kohaku was handling things - not in a professional way, mind you - and hadn't thought about her predicament in the least. Albeit the fact Kohaku was most definitely at fault, Naruto was guilty as well.

"I-I'll talk to him later," Gaara hastened to say, "But please think about what I've told you."

Kohaku threw him the same condescending look that she'd given him the day before. Picking up a book, she started walking away quickly. "I will," she said, "Then good day to you, Kazekage-sama,"

"You too, Chibi," Gaara sighed.

Few minutes passed when he realized something.

Kohaku had taken the book he'd been looking for. He had been so caught up in lecturing - or attempting to - the girl that he'd forgotten to ask for the book. Now he had no reference for his paperwork.

Kohaku - 1

Gaara - 0

Damn it all.

* * *

Author: Remember, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,

sakura-pichu16296


	6. Attempts

Author: Thank you for your feedback in the last chapter! Everything was rather helpful, especially when one review (**Another Witty Ninja**) mentioned something about the way I write the story. So, for anyone who's a tad bit mystified by anything Kohaku says, don't hold back in asking me what she means when she says something! I'll try my best to make everything understandable…_ish._

I'll consider doing a FAQ section if there's a lot of questions pertaining to the previous chapters of the story, and that's where I'll probably elaborate more on Kohaku's speech patterns. We'll just see how it goes, yes? So feel free to ask questions!

For **GaarasMyBoyzz**, (thanks for the cookie!) I've been trying to write the other side of Gaara, the way I imagine him to be when he's not in Kazekage Gaara-mode. 'Cause whenever we see him in the manga or the anime, Gaara's usually doing something awesome like protecting his village, saving a friend or something along the lines of that, right? So I guess maybe that's why you feel like he's kind of OOC but not really, 'cause none of us have actually seen Gaara just being… normal. (Although I can't say if Gaara can really be normal - he's too awesome for normal.)

Why not tell me what's your opinion on the normal, off-duty Gaara? I'd love to hear everyone's standpoints! I'm pretty open.

Oh, and **CherrySmoothies**, I'd totally hate to be on the wrong side of Kohaku's tongue, too! But then, I guess I'd somewhat enjoy it if I were. I'm _that_ masochistic. Heh.

**_Special thanks to:  
_**_MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who did her job even though she was busy painting her nails with overpriced nail polish!  
_AveryKnight  
__immortal-lover14  
__CherrySmoothies  
__Another Witty Ninja  
__jestie kiryuu  
__Lady Amazon  
__Anonymous ()  
__GaarasMyBoyzz  
__Renrinrin_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own the genius work that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, only Kohaku and any characters that do not appear on Naru Wiki. If I did, the Akatsuki would all still be alive and I'd totally give them more screen-time. Oh, and Orochimaru would definitely die earlier in the story, so as to not give little kids nightmares about the Japanese version of Michael Jackson slithering out from under their beds after watching an _Anaconda_ marathon.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

Considering what had happened in the morning, it wasn't much of a surprise when Naruto was less than eager to get back to the apartment after Day One. If Lady Luck truly decided to be an unforgiving bitch that day, Kakashi would most likely be waiting to lecture the blonde shinobi about teamwork and responsibility, neither of which Naruto had shown much of with his little display of rebellion that morning.

One_ could_ imagine Naruto's surprise and utter relief when he'd reached the apartment, stepping in without being ambushed by his captain, and instead found the man sitting in the living area, reading his latest Icha Icha Paradise novel. Kakashi had even looked up, seemingly unaware of the discord between the unfavorable Kohaku and Naruto himself, and had given Naruto a gaily wave of the hand, asking him how his day went and telling him that Sakura was going to prepare their dinner, so he - Naruto - could relax while Sakura worked her magic in the kitchen.

Speaking of Sakura, when Naruto had dropped by the kitchen, the medic, usually uptight about things like teamwork the way Kakashi was, seemed to be in the dark as well. When Naruto reached his room - thankfully far away from Kohaku's - only then did the suspicion start to grow into intolerable proportions.

Everything seemed normal.

_Too_ normal.

Unable to cope with the doubts that were starting to transition into paranoia, Naruto made his decision to burst out of his room, run down the narrow hallway and hurtled into what formerly was, before revelation, in his mind, the Portal Gate to Hell. (In other words, Kohaku's room)

Cold sweat trickled down Naruto's temples. Panting heavily from the rush of adrenalin and the built-up stress, Naruto found himself in a normal, otherwise spartan, room with a colorful bundle of gold and blue curled up in a corner of the stark-white single bed.

"Uzumaki-kun. Perhaps your teachers may have not seen the need to teach you this, but I distinctly remember being told that knocking before being given the permission to enter a room is part of civil behavior."

Kohaku's owlish eyes peered out from behind the pages of a ridiculously large hardback book, the kind that only the truly demented would attempt to read. Her legs were drawn up to chest-level for the book to be propped against her knees, and her hands were hidden behind the book's cover, presumably resting against the pages of the book. Definitely not a reading position that Naruto would've associated with the stiff and formal Kohaku.

"What did you tell Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan?"

"Pardon?" the querulous tone in her voice was evident, but Naruto was unconvinced.

"Kakashi-sensei didn't lecture me on sight. Sakura-chan hasn't gone all 'SHANNARO!' or 'NARUTO, YOU MORON!' and punched the snot out of me," Naruto's words were cautious; his movements skittish, "What did you tell them?"

Kohaku pulled the book shut, and Naruto's useless observation saw the title,_ Sunagakure Politics_. A small part in the blonde's hyperactive mind wondered what a girl younger than he himself was doing reading about politics from another village. Talk about strange preferences.

"I did not say anything of particular significance to both Kakashi-nii and Haruno-san," Kohaku replied as she set the book on the bare night table beside the bed, "From what I surmise, I see that you have reached a mental state of disturbance which has clearly driven you to hysterical hallucinations of what I have or have not done."

If Kohaku's lengthy assumption had been correct, then Naruto had been pulled out of the disturbed mentality from the mere power of confusion brought about by the girl's words.

"Huh?"

Kohaku remained apathetic at Naruto's blank answer. "Uzumaki-kun, if you truly have nothing of significance for discussion, I will kindly ask of you to see yourself out of my quarters, as you have yet to be properly invited in by me and I do not plan on doing so at the moment,"

"No! I do have something that I want to talk about!" Naruto remained rooted to the spot without any signs of paying heed to Kohaku's words.

Kohaku's eyes bore into Naruto, showing no emotion as they did so. "And I advise you to start talking or I will have to forcibly eject you from this room and place wards to ban you from entering by force again,"

Naruto, back to his normal, pre-paranoia self again, had his bottom lip stuck out in irritation. It wasn't like he had come here by choice either!

…

Okay, fine. He had, but that was not the point.

"You didn't tell Kakashi-sensei or Sakura-chan about what happened this morning? When I…?" He trailed off, a sheepish grin of guilt forming as he thought about his actions. He didn't regret them, but when he'd thought about what Kakashi or Sakura would've done to him, Naruto had been ready to walk into the Forest of Death, unarmed, blindfolded and limbs chained together.

Kohaku, now sitting on the edge of the bed with her bare feet flat on the ground, kept her steady gaze. Conversation etiquette didn't seem to be lacking in the eye-contact department for her. It really was too bad she couldn't control that tongue of hers.

"I saw no need to do so, because it had merely been a petty trifle sparked off from both sides of the argument. I had intended to continue on, disregarding your opinion on the matter; by force if required,"

Naruto nearly set off into a fit of rage at the mention of force, but remained calm when he remembered Kohaku mentioning wards that could ban people. Those wards could inflict a great deal of pain when the persona non grata was in the area when activated. They electrocuted and magically booted you out of the place, twenty feet into the air and you landed on the roof of some building with a few bruises and a broken bone or two. If you were lucky enough, you could land by getting impaled with questionable roof decorations.

Definitely not Naruto's idea of fun.

"'Had'?" Naruto's ears at least caught the slight verbal error in Kohaku's sentence, "What do you mean by 'had'?"

"The Kazekage has heard about the discord, and wishes for the both of us to rectify the situation, with more effort on my part," the last few words seemed to be uttered with a bitter tone.

Naruto blanched when he heard Gaara's other name. "Who told Gaara?"

"I did."

"Why in Hell's name did you tell him?"

Expressionless eyes blinked. Kohaku let out a tiny sigh of impatience. The blonde was wearing her tolerance for him thin, and the brunt of the annoyance came from his sudden catapult into her room. As a person who cherished her privacy like a miser would his gold, Kohaku had been none too pleased when Naruto had intruded without permission _and _interrupted her reading with ridiculous accusations. (Yes, Gaara had been right. Kohaku did, in fact, like to read.)

"It was not by choice. He asked me the reason to why I was in the library and instead of the academy, and because I was still on active duty despite my inability to carry out my duties, I was obligated to respond with the truth."

"Screw that!" Naruto was panicked right now. What if Gaara didn't approve of his actions, and then he would be booted off the mission! And Gaara would hate him forever! Not to mention the fact that Tsunade would definitely demote him and forbid him from going on any more missions, even crummy D-ranked ones! "What did Gaara say?"

Naruto failed to note the slight shift of muscles on Kohaku's forehead molding into a hardly noticeable frown. "Anything that concerns you would be relayed to you by the Kazekage," she said stiffly, "The Kazekage himself said that he would be talking to you."

_Screwed._

Naruto was _royally_ screwed.

xxxx

Naruto marched himself up the winding stairs that led to the Kazekage's office. He'd bolted dinner down in record time, second fastest next to Kakashi, and had run out of the apartment, claiming to have left something important in the academy. A bold-faced lie, because he had left nothing behind and instead headed for the closest route to the Kazekage's building.

Naruto, remembering Kohaku's reprimand for some reason, knocked twice before hurtling into the office, on his knees with his hands clasped together in an attempt to beg for forgiveness. "Don't remove me! I'll promise to try to work with Shishimiya! I swear! On my honor!"

Gaara, hand poised in midair holding an ink brush, blinked in surprise at Naruto's sudden entrance. Gaara was more or less used to people bursting in with news that had great impact on his village, like a new technique for the shinobi masses or a medical breakthrough or something along the lines of those, but having a shinobi from another village - Naruto, no less - begging for forgiveness on the floor was_ kind _of new.

Well, Gaara had to consider the fact that it _was_ Naruto who was doing it. The blonde never failed to amaze the young Kazekage with his strange antics.

"Naruto. I was going to look for you after I was done with all this paperwork," Gaara set down his brush against the ink stone, "You can get up now. You're making me uncomfortable."

Naruto, who had his eyes squeezed shut to brace himself for the impact, hesitantly opened them. His whole face betrayed utter confusion as he stood up slowly. "Eh? You're not going to sack me or anything?"

Gaara allowed himself to chuckle softly, a small smile ghosting his lips. Both he and the other jinchuuriki always have had a bond closer than that of friends. "From what I heard, it was merely an argument. But, before I reprimand you, I want to hear your side of the story,"

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well…"

xxxx

"…and I basically lost it and stomped away," Naruto finished, "I did give the students a choice, but they all followed me,"

Gaara's expression was unreadable, something which made Naruto slightly nervous. What would Gaara do, now that he'd heard both sides of the story? Naruto could only pray that what Kohaku had said was not as bad as he expected.

"So the Chibi was right, after all," Gaara sounded rather thoughtful. He'd expected someone like Kohaku to spin the story in a way that twisted in her favor, but all she had told him were the facts of the truth. Gaara was, begrudgingly, impressed by the way Kohaku had not concealed the truth with a lie but instead did otherwise.

"Eh? Chibi? Who's that?"

Gaara then remembered Naruto was still in the room with him. "Nothing," he said dismissively. No one needed to know of the strange acquaintance he had with the girl, "So, what I gather is that you did not want to follow Shishimiya's plan, and she insisted that your plan was no good, so you lost your temper and fought?"

Naruto pondered upon Gaara's words. "Well, we didn't really fight. It was more like I got mad, then said I wouldn't work with her, then the students followed me after I asked them if anyone wanted to. Shishimiya didn't do much. She just stood there with that stone-faced expression of hers,"

xxxx

Truth be told, Gaara was rather stumped and puzzled by Naruto's description of Kohaku's behavior. The redhead wasn't too sure of what to make of Kohaku's decision to remain quiet about the matter, but when he reflected on the fact that he had found Kohaku in the library, Gaara supposed that Kohaku was either a pacifist - unlikely for a shinobi, but considering the Hyuuga heiress, it wasn't entirely impossible - or had decided things were too troublesome to handle at the moment.

Nah. The only shinobi Gaara knew who would do the latter was the Nara boy whom his sister seemed to have a questionably strange relationship with.

"Naruto, do you remember what you told me when we first fought?"

Naruto was slightly bewildered by Gaara's sudden question. "Y-Yeah. I guess so. Why?"

Another small smile appeared on Gaara's face. "What you told me helped me realize that I could become a better person if I tried. And I did. And I'm only here today because of you,"

Naruto chuckled, his face red from embarrassment. "Well, I didn't do _that _much. I just blabbed things I thought you ought to know,"

"Don't you think you should try and do the same with Shishimiya?"

Taken aback by Gaara's sudden suggestion, Naruto's expression was one of surprise. It wasn't only the sentry from the day before but Gaara too?

"W-What do you mean?"

"You made an effort with Sai, Naruto. It's only fair you try with Shishimiya," Gaara reasoned quietly, his frost-green eyes boring into Naruto's cerulean ones, "I believe you can do it,"

xxxx

"Hell_-o_ there!"

The titian-haired head made no move to acknowledge the person who had spoken. Kohaku's brown eyes continued to move in a uniform motion of up and down, still reading the pages of the book from earlier. "Do you require something from me, Uzumaki-kun?"

Naruto stood at the doorway, the door to Kohaku's room wide open. After his conversation with Gaara, Naruto had thought about what the Kazekage had said on the way back to the apartment, and the blonde had decided to heed his friend's words. He'd try to break through Kohaku's frosty exterior. After all, someone who liked eating mochi wasn't so bad, right? And she acted completely different towards Kakashi, so there was a_ sliver_ of hope for the blonde shinobi.

Naruto purposefully strode across the room, and seated himself on the floor, in front of the bed where Kohaku was. Crossing his arms promptly across his chest, he announced, "I have come to make peace,"

Kohaku never stopped reading. "I wasn't aware there was a strife between the both of us,"

Naruto struggled to keep his short-fused temper in check. Clearly, despite whatever Gaara had told her, Kohaku wasn't even going to consider his words. "Well, actually, there is. We've been fighting since I, um, _disturbed_ you when you were sleeping a few nights ago-,"

"You did not disturb me. You were attempting to rifle through my things, without any prior permission to do so,"

A corner of Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance as he cleared his throat loudly. "As I was saying, I want to clear the bad blood between us-,"

"I do not concern myself with things like that. There is no bad blood between us. It is merely what you have conceived as a conclusion for your abhorrence for me,"

A loud sigh erupted from Naruto's lips. This conversation, clearly, was going nowhere. "Anyways, because of that decision, I've decided that I want to get to know you better!"

"Name, Shishimiya Kohaku; Age, fourteen; Birthdate, nineteenth of January; Height, a hundred and forty-five centimeters; Weight, forty-two kilograms. Now kindly show yourself out of the room, Uzumaki-kun,"

Unable to stand it anymore, Naruto stood up in frustration with a loud growl. "You're impossible!" he cried, and turned and stomped out of the room, good intentions long-forgotten.

Clearly, there was a long way to go before both Naruto and Kohaku could call each other friends.

* * *

Author: As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! And feel free to ask any questions if you're a bit fuzzy on something!

Luv,  
sakura-pichu16296


	7. The Chibi's Compliment

Author: I'm back again with another chapter of _Lion in the Desert_!

Thank you very much for your reviews! They're really encouraging, y'know? Reading them usually makes me smile and gets me pumped up for writing. I agree - Kohaku _does _give a whole new light to the term we all know and love - _why so serious?_

I'm glad you all like her, 'cause having people appreciate the child of my imaginations is one of the best 'cheer-me-up's ever!

So, I know it's been a few weeks since I last updated, and I've been updating for at least once a week, so I profusely apologize for the delay. It's just that I've been preoccupied with the beginning of the new school year, and it's also my final year of school, so I've got a lot of things on my plate at the moment, trying to adjust to the new schedule. Oh how I miss the December holidays. It's just too much for a fourteen-going-on-fifteen-year-old, you know? ;-;

Another reason is because I had a bit of a writer's block. Every time I tried to write, my mind just came up blank. I'll explain it later. Geh. Anyways, enough with the ramblings!

_Special thanks to:_

_MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who did her job even though she was busy watching reruns of America's Next Top Model!

_jestie Uchiha_

_GaarasMyBoyzz_

_aNONYMOUS_

_LadyAmazon_

_secret53_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned _Naruto_, it'd be called _Gaara_ instead. Yeah. I _so _went there.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

"You again?"

Gaara found himself staring across the enclosed corner of the vast Sunagakure library, his gaze resting on the barely noticeable figure huddled between piles of books towering over her. He had gone to return the book he had borrowed not too long ago, having already fulfilled the use of it, and had passed by a different corner of the library. He had been surprised to see so many books out in one sitting, and if he hadn't been pulled in by the strangeness of it all, he would have failed to notice that the reader was none other than the person who was supposed to be somewhere else at that very moment.

Clearly, Kohaku was an expert at covering her tracks.

"Good morning, Kazekage-sama," cold eyes looked up to acknowledge Gaara's presence briefly before going back to reading.

Gaara was compelled to sigh, but as he was the Kazekage, his pride didn't allow him to do so when Kohaku hadn't done anything to elicit a sigh from him. Yet. "And what is your reason for your absence once again? It's two days in a row now, Chibi,"

"Uzumaki-kun and I had another disagreement," Gaara did not fail to see the well-masked condescending look that Kohaku gave him from behind her emotionless features.

"Obviously so. By reason I meant what was the argument about this time,"

"We agreed to teach chakra control today,"

Gaara gave her a slightly incredulous look. "And how does that qualify for an argument? It sounds like you were actually making progress,"

"We both had different ideas on which ways to teach them chakra control,"

Oh.

Gaara shifted impatiently in the spot where he stood. Sunlight streamed relentlessly through the rounded windows that perforated the walls of the library, warming up the air-conditioned building. "So why couldn't you just go with the easier one?"

"Because Uzumaki-kun seems to prefer shortcuts," Kohaku's fingers flitted through the pages of the open book lying on the table in front of her, her eyes moving quickly to read the complex kanji printed on the pages.

Gaara seemed to be slightly affronted by the fact that Kohaku was not paying full attention to their conversation; instead, she was more concerned with the book. As the revered Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Gaara was more or less used to the respect given and the attention he was able to command with a mere flick of his fingers, something that he regarded with humble humility. Kohaku's display of actions were a curious amalgamation - she seemed to be deferential in her actions and words, but Gaara felt like Kohaku did not regard him in the same standard she seemed to regard Tsunade with.

Clearing his throat with practiced subtleness, Gaara gave Kohaku a hard look. "Do you have a short-termed memory or a selective one? Because I clearly remember what I told you to do."

"Neither. I do recall your words."

"And…?"

"I rejected them," Kohaku paused to return the hard look Gaara had given her with a withering look of her own.

Gaara's brow furrowed into a deep frown. No sense in hiding his displeasure now, was there? "I did not give you an option. It was an absolute order."

"The power of giving absolute orders only lies within the jurisdiction of Kakashi-nii and Tsunade-hime,"

Again with that ridiculous subject! What was that damn hawk doing taking so long?

Gaara's hard stare remained. "What makes it so hard to get along with Naruto? Just playing along with him will guarantee results," he decided to ignore the jibe that Kohaku had given him with her earlier statement.

"It is not the problem of collaborating with him, but rather our vastly differing opinions on what is better,"

"Maybe you'd want to give his opinions a more open-minded view," Gaara suggested wisely.

Kohaku gave no reply, as she continued moving her fingers across the pages of the book, seemingly transfixed by the characters printed neatly on the pages. Her eyes darted back and forth, making Gaara wonder whether she really was reading or pretending to do so in order to avoid a direct conversation with him. Gaara let out the tiniest of sighs as he stepped forward, approaching the table, and pushed the piles of books that were shielding Kohaku away. His hand shot out and pulled the book the girl was reading away.

Kohaku ceased all movements momentarily before her eyes went up to look at Gaara. She remained devoid of emotion as she opened her mouth to speak. "Please give it back, Kazekage-sama,"

Gaara shook his head firmly. "Your mission or the book: Which is more important?"

The redhead could hardly believe his eyes when Kohaku actually _stopped to think_. Her eyes strayed to the book in Gaara's hands; her lips pursed in deep thought. She definitely liked reading more than she had let on when Gaara had randomly asked her the question a while ago. How could choosing the importance between a book and an S-ranked mission be a difficult decision? Just one more thing about the eccentric loner that puzzled the young Kazekage.

Deciding that this was probably not going to go anywhere, Gaara sighed. "Look, I'll let you check out this book under my name if you follow me somewhere,"

A gaze laden with suspicion rested on Gaara. "What are your intentions? I was not aware that my presence was required somewhere,"

"I'm not going to do anything shady if that's what you're worried about," Gaara deigned to roll his eyes at the doubt that Kohaku was showing, "I just want to show you something,"

* * *

Despite the sweltering heat relentlessly sweeping through the village in stifling waves that made even the homegrown Sunagakure dwellers grouse, it was hard to ignore Kohaku's chilling and somewhat highly disturbing presence as she walked a few paces behind him. Either it was a sign of respect or that she found being with Gaara embarrassing and did not want to be caught walking alongside him.

Gaara suspected it was the latter.

Compared to the first time they met, walking with her now had a completely different atmosphere, despite the crowded street. Kohaku's presence was like a soul-sucking abyss that was hard to miss in the busy lane of commerce. While he had been at ease - albeit not completely - bantering with the eccentric girl who had tried in vain to shake him off her tail while looking for her comrades, this time he felt uncomfortable, like he was walking with a feudal lord of the Land of Wind and he was trying his best to not make any doltish blunders, letting his inhibitions take complete control of him.

Was it just him or did Kohaku radiate waves of regality that scared everyone else stiff? Maybe that was why people found it hard to get along with her. Also, Gaara wasn't in a hurry to forget the strange speech habit that was unique to Kohaku. He still wondered where she had picked it up.

Gaara caught sight of a particular shop nestled between two sand-coloured buildings identical to it. The Suna shinobi pushed open the door and stepped inside, vaguely aware that Kohaku had also followed suit.

"Ah! Gaara-sama! Welcome!"

A portly woman bustled forwards, exiting from the curtained doorway at the back of the shop. She was dressed in mahogany robes; her rounded face was lined with creases that showed age, messily framed by salt-and-pepper hair. Gaara gave the woman a respectful bow of the head. "Hello, Ruka,"

Ruka was all smiles as she hurriedly shook her head vehemently. "Gaara-sama! Please don't be formal with me! I already told you not to do that!"

A corner of Gaara's mouth quirked up briefly in a quick smile before returning to his usual mask of nonchalance. "Is that thing I was looking at during my previous visit still here?"

Ruka nodded. "Would you like to purchase it, Gaara-sama?"

Gaara shook his head. "I'd like to show it to my fr-," Gaara wondered what Kohaku's reaction would be to being called his friend. He decided to go with the safer option. "Sorry - _Shishimiya_, here,"

Ruka craned her neck to take a look at the enigmatic figure that stood silently behind the Kazekage. Kohaku remained impassive, only regarding the elderly woman with a stiff bow of the head. Gaara had to give props to her - at least she didn't lack manners.

The shop-owner smiled reluctantly before whisking off to the back of the shop, leaving the two teenagers alone. Gaara turned to Kohaku. "So, what do you think, Chibi?"

Kohaku met his eyes with a cold glare. "I still do not understand your purpose for bringing me here. This is a pet shop."

Indeed, the place where Gaara had wanted to bring her to was a pet shop. A row of cages that stood against one side of the walls housed various sizes of desert eagles, while another corner had a glass tank containing snakes that blended among the rocks and sand scattered inside. Another row of glass tanks stood beside the cash register, with a family of slow-moving desert tortoises crawling around inside. A colorful bird - obviously not native to the Land of Wind - perched inside a roomy birdcage displayed in the middle of the shop.

"You don't like animals, Chibi?" Gaara asked, seeing the crack in the mask that Kohaku skillfully wore. It was apparent that she was disgruntled by the unexpected visit to a pet store.

Kohaku gave Gaara a pointed look. "That is none of your concern. What I want to know is why you brought me here,"

Gaara gave the girl a devious half-smile. "So you don't like animals, then?"

Kohaku's brows furrowed into a frown. Success! Gaara managed to make her produce a different facial expression! "That is besides the point-,"

"Here you go!" Ruka was back.

The two teenagers turned away from their conversation, seeing the woman carefully balancing a hefty glass tank in her arms. Grains of sand rose from inside the gourd on Gaara's back and flew towards the woman, lifting the tank from her arms and placing it on the counter. The sandy river, done with its purpose, then floated back into the gourd, the cork materializing back in place. Ruka beamed at Gaara in appreciation for his helpful gesture.

"Thank you very much, Gaara-sama! Now you'll have to excuse me, because there's a very troublesome ledger I'll have to deal with. Take your time viewing the farm! Just leave it on the counter once you're done!" she called out as she returned to the back room.

Gaara could tell Kohaku was puzzled by the mention of 'farm'. Her brow was still creased into a frown, but instead of glaring at Gaara, her eyes were rested on the glass tank sitting on top of the counter, following the movements of the dark specks moving around inside.

"What do you think?" Gaara decided to break the pregnant silence.

Kohaku gave no answer as she continued to follow the movements of the ants inside. Gaara sighed. He might as well give her the explanation for their visit to see the ant farm. "Do you know the characteristics of ants?"

"I was unaware that things like these existed," an amazed tone to the quiet voice startled Gaara from his explanation.

"What?" incredulity was apparent on Gaara's face.

There were two reasons for Gaara's shock: One, the fact that Kohaku had never seen an ant farm before and two, her voice had been unrecognizable with the alien tone; Gaara had almost thought that there was another person inside the shop.

Kohaku realized that she'd spoken a few decibels too loud, because the wondrous expression that had been quietly dawning on her face quickly froze back into a stone mask. Gaara allowed himself a tiny smirk, before clearing his throat as if nothing strange had happened. He pointed to the glass tank containing the crawling insects.

"As I was saying earlier, are you aware of the characteristics of ants?"

Met with silence, Gaara studied the stoic expression on Kohaku's face. The slight, barely noticeable shift of the muscles in between her eyebrows told Gaara all he needed to know.

"You don't know a thing, do you?"

"I never said that," Kohaku bit back; her words cold and cutting.

Without meaning to, a small chuckle escaped from between Gaara's lips. The redhead smothered the next chortle with a loud cough, making the shorter shinobi give him a glare. "It looks like the childish, infantile Chibi is back," he commented casually.

Kohaku gave him another hard look, lips pressed together in distaste. "Kazekage-sama, please stop wasting time and get straight to the point. What is your purpose for bringing me here?"

Gaara tapped the glass lightly; the slight vibration made the ants inside go into a frenzied scurry. "I was passing by a few days ago when I saw this," he said, "And watching the network of ants working together reminded me of the problem you and Naruto are having right now.

"Because the both of you are unable to work together, I decided I'd pick the more reasonable of you two and show you this; to show you how one party has to be accommodating of the other, to be able to see from the same viewpoint. Ants, as weak and insignificant as they are, are insects that are able to thrive because they are able to find ways to cooperate. You and Naruto are both individuals that have differing strengths and weaknesses - you may be polar opposites, but that does not mean you cannot work side by side. Like the ants, you just have to be accepting of each other's shortcomings and be able to work out things together with clear and open minds."

After the last few words, another bout of silence stretched around the room; Gaara felt somewhat uncomfortable with the owlish stare Kohaku was giving him. He couldn't tell what the girl was thinking, for her eyes betrayed nothing on her mind. The Kazekage had actually been indecisive with the idea of showing Kohaku his ant farm metaphor, but a strange force had compelled him with a final decision, after he'd had the conversation with her earlier in the library.

While Naruto would've had some trouble understanding what Gaara wanted to show, Gaara suspected that Kohaku was more intelligent than she seemed. The books were definitely a surefire indicator, for normal people her age would have preferences for books that had nothing to do with history and politics; her baffling vocabulary was also another indication that she wasn't just your average, run-off-the-mill Konoha shinobi.

Smiling to himself, Gaara marveled at the multitudes of unique shinobi that Konoha seemed to never exhaust itself of, with Naruto being a prominent figure floating at the top. But this particular shinobi at the moment wasn't part of the positive side of unique. Bordering in between, maybe, but not completely.

"Kazekage-sama, while it does not really concern me, I have been told that people who smile discreetly to themselves are either mentally debilitated or thinking up a plan for conspiracy," the same cold voice broke through his train of thoughts, making Gaara's eyes move towards Kohaku.

"I see no need to do any conspiring within_ my _own village, Chibi," Gaara sniffed, stepping away from the ant farm, "And I am definitely_ not_ mentally whatever."

Ignoring Gaara's retort, Kohaku said, "If that is all, I will be taking my leave now, Kazekage-sama,"

Her head dipped slightly, before she turned to walk out; steps unfaltering. Gaara sighed and called after her, "Just make sure you think about what I said and I'd better see you at the academy tomorrow."

The quiet footsteps stopped, and without turning to look back, a quiet voice said, "You may have an extreme predilection for wasting time, but I take back my words. You are a wise Kazekage, after all,"

And then Kohaku disappeared from view, leaving a startled Gaara making sure that her words had been real and not the tricks of the heat playing with his mind.

_"Did she just… **compliment** me?"_

* * *

Truth be told, Kohaku had felt naught but amazement when she had discovered Gaara's intentions of showing her the nest of ants crawling around multiple networks of tunnels in the soil-filled tank (Although it was true that she had not been aware that ants could be kept in such a manner). Listening to him, Kohaku realized that Gaara had been trying to make an effort with a shinobi that was not one of his own; normally a kage would merely focus of his own army of shinobi, but it was a surprise that instead of terminating the contract and asking for a different platoon, Gaara had made an honest attempt to try fix the problem with the best of his abilities.

A small seed of newfound respect for the young Kazekage found itself planted in the depths of Kohaku's heart; it was something that did not happen often, for the way Kohaku had been raised went against it.

Slipping the metal key from the weapons pouch attached to her waist, Kohaku unlocked the door to the apartment. As she walked into the living area, she saw Kakashi seated on a chair, deeply absorbed in one of his many editions of that strange series he enjoyed reading. Hearing the slight creak of the door, Kakashi looked up and recognition dawned in his visible eye as he lifted a hand to greet the girl.

"Hey, Kohaku! How was your day?"

It was common knowledge taken from observation that Kohaku and Kakashi were familiar with one another, with the way Kohaku referred to him by his first name with a prefix that indication a certain amount of affection in their relationship, and the way Kakashi was able to call her by her first name without any reprimanding from the girl to call her by her last name. Kohaku made to sit down in the angular sofa opposite of the armchair Kakashi was seated on.

"Kakashi-nii," a ghost of a smile touched upon her lips briefly as she regarded her senior, "My day was somewhat unexpected. I learnt a valuable lesson today."

A pale silver eyebrow arched up in surprise. "Oh? That's a shocker,"

Kohaku's face easily melted into a surly expression. "What does that mean?"

Kakashi was a man that you had to be cautious around, because he was as unpredictable as his battle-style was. Kohaku knew that, and as much as she regularly disregarded that fact without as much of a bat of an eyelid, she found herself, at times, doubting the cheery mask that Kakashi put on, hiding the sardonic tongue he was skilled at using to deal snide remarks.

Kakashi chortled, closing his book. "Now, now. Don't be touchy. I wasn't being sarcastic, if that's what you're thinking," he said with a wary tone, knowing that Kohaku's mood was volatile, mostly always frozen cold with the likeness of an emotionless statue. As comfortable as Kohaku was with him, even Kakashi knew where to tread when talking to Kohaku. "I mean, you're not an easily influenced person, right? Did you read a particularly riveting book or something?"

"No," Kohaku shook her head once, "I was wrong. The Kazekage is not the sapient fool that I originally denoted him to be. He has proven to be a particularly insightful character."

The silver-headed jounin gave the girl a look of incredulity. "Did you just _compliment_ someone?"

The sullen expression on Kohaku's face remained; accusing brown eyes directed a glare at the ex-ANBU. "I see no reason for you to sound so shocked, Kakashi-nii. After all, I don't see anything wrong about it within the context of social boundaries. Is is not a normal thing for humans to commend one another?"

"Not when that human happens to be _you_,"

* * *

Unable to think of a riposte, another glare was directed at the skeptical shinobi as Kakashi's statement was obviously a jibe at Kohaku's reclusive character. Kakashi's eye crinkled, a smile apparent in it. He remembered the time when he'd first known Kohaku. She had treated him the same as she treated everyone else; cold, detached and unfeeling. Really, she had almost reminded him of himself in his younger years.

Now, all she needed were people who could be like how Obito and Rin had been to him.

"So you're more interested in Gaara, now? Are you both friends?" Kakashi asked, casually toying with the book in his gloved hands. He couldn't suppress the grin on his masked face when Kohaku shot him another fierce glare.

"Hardly. The Kazekage remains as he always has been to me - a part of my mission and nothing else," she replied, a hint of condescension in her voice. It was so obviously clear that she somewhat resented Gaara for reasons unknown to Kakashi.

The ex-ANBU let out an exaggerated sigh at the answer the kunoichi had given him. He knew it was hard for Kohaku to accept people the way she had accepted him. Heck, it had been hard for him to break through the cold, icy shell that encased her. Even now, Kohaku was still an enigma that the Copy-Nin wasn't able to figure out; a labyrinth that was hard to get out of.

"I'd like to say_ 'try harder and make new friends'_ but that's hardly a valid point of advice for you," Kakashi waved his hand in resignation, "It seems like the only fitting thing I should say is _'I hope you one day learn to talk to more people'_. And don't you dare try contradict what I said. Don't try to be a smart-ass," he added as he saw a flash in Kohaku's eyes when he'd said something about talking to more people.

"I will take your words into consideration," Kohaku said instead.

"To heart, not consideration," Kakashi corrected, as he stood up. "Now, I'll be going to disturb Sakura in the kitchen. Do you want to eat anything in particular?"

Kohaku shook her head once. "No, thank you," was her blatant reply, "I will be in my room."

As Kohaku slid off the sofa and headed down the hallway to her room, Kakashi shook his head in resignation - did Kohaku really have to make things so difficult? She refused to eat with the rest of them at the table - instead Kohaku preferred to eat whatever she could come up with. Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion that the girl lived on only cereal and mochi sometimes, but he wasn't too sure. Even_ that _part of Kohaku was still a fuzzy picture to him.

As much as Kohaku could be an expressive person when it came to their long conversations of menial things, he couldn't breach the walls that she'd erected around her personal life, and nor did he want to. He had discovered a small part of it a long time ago - and he had never, _ever_, once expressed a liking for it.

_Never._

* * *

Author: You see? It was hard to write the segment where Kohaku's iciness melts a little upon accepting Gaara for who he is - although she's obviously in denial. Kohaku was just adamant when I was trying to write a bit of emotion into her. She was all,_ "No. You are just a mere human being with no redeeming qualities. I do not see any reason for you to showcase my personal life in such a derisible manner. Now go away."_

Sigh. It truly was a less-than-slash-three situation for me. Still, I hoped you all liked this installment of _Lion in the Desert_!

Kohaku's story begins to show! But I promise and assure you it won't be the typical _'My-parents-died-so-I-was-left-alone-to-fend-for-myself-and-now-I'm-stronger-and-special-because-of-it'_ kind of Mary Sue story. Geh.

Lastly, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

Luv,

Pichuzilla

PS I changed my pen-name! It's still kind of the same, though - **Pichu**zilla. Go Pichus! :D


	8. NARUTO? What?

Author: I'm back again with another chapter of _Lion in the Desert_! For _Lion in the Desert_ to be one of the best stories? How you stroke my ego! I'm really pleased you think that way, but there's thousands of Naruto fanfictions out there - probably all better than mine, but y'know, different strokes for different folks! Thanks, anyway! I eat up compliments the way my rabbits Harlequin and Artemis eat apples. Heh.

_Special thanks to:_

_MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who did her job and baked a cake for me!  
_GaarasMyBoyzz _  
_QueenoftheKill  
__Shifuni  
__Rei Bara  
__Jessluvswriting  
__Haru's Cowgirl  
__HockeyandMusic  
__ichigo1508 _

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing! (How do you come up with such awesome screennames? My name's so blah. My mom said so when she saw my avatar's name on a game. Sob.)

Disclaimer: I die a little inside every time I say I don't own Naruto. Sob.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

The dry, irritating sound that came from opposite of Naruto irked him. Being someone who hated mornings - especially mornings when he found that he had forgotten to buy more instant ramen and had none to eat for breakfast like right now - more than the idea of eating nothing but vegetables for an entire week, Naruto was anything but cheery.

"Shishimiya. Could you, like, lower down the volume of your eating?" his voice came out dry and scratchy, having just woken up. Naruto unceremoniously stuffed a slice of slightly burnt toast into his mouth.

Presently, it was just the two of them seated at the table; Kakashi had gotten up early to send off a report to Tsunade at the central aviary, while Sakura was at an early-morning sale at some apothecary in town. Naruto had been less than pleased to find the eccentric girl in a chair, chewing in a somewhat mechanical manner on her cereal.

The crunching stopped. Kohaku looked up from the carbohydrate-filled bowl, eyes vacant as usual. "I was unaware that it is possible to do such a thing," in his disgruntled state, Kohaku's voice ground against his testy nerves dangerously.

Rubbing a palm across his face, Naruto let out a tired groan, muffled by the half-eaten bread in his mouth. Kohaku resumed eating, her chews still loud - in Naruto's opinion - and oddly rhythmic.

After the squabble from the day before, Naruto really had no idea what he was going to do with the odd rufous-headed girl. He had tried the initial approach of asking her basic questions about herself - it was a massive fail on both parts. Yes, she'd given him an answer - it was just that she had gotten a bit _too _basic; answering with the data that everyone who wanted to know could find out by themselves with a bit of research in the Konoha Archives. Naruto wasn't sure whether or not she had misinterpreted the question. After all, Kohaku had mystified him a time too many with her surprisingly weak inability to pick out sarcasm when it could be plainly heard.

Naruto had tried to give Kohaku leeway during the lesson in the academy, but his impatience clashed with Kohaku's iron determination to stick by the basicity of step-by-steps, making it virtually impossible to work together. He'd tried to be patient - something which was a rare occurrence for Naruto - but damn, was she hard to work with!

Making a decision, Naruto swallowed the last half of the bread in one go and downed the milk in his glass. Placing the now-empty glass onto the table, Naruto noted that Kohaku was not in the least interested in what he was doing, but instead continued to steadily stare down at her cereal as she ate. Well, at least_ that_ was one thing he actually liked about her - she wasn't a nosy parker like most people.

He cleared his throat loudly to catch her attention. Kohaku stopped, midway in directing the cereal-laden spoon into her mouth, and looked up. "Do you wish to say something, Uzumaki-kun?"

"Um. No. Wait. Yes!" Naruto fumbled with his words, something that happen too often for his taste when it came to speaking to the cold, detached Kohaku when they weren't arguing, "Actually, Gaara gave me the go-ahead to bring the students out for a field trip today. So we're going into the greenhouse jungle for some basic wildlife training,"

"I see," a chilly gaze swept across Naruto with evident displeasure, "You have taken the opportunity to make decisions with neither my consent nor my opinion."

Naruto had learned to be careful to discern the hidden questions and words between her lines. In this particular one, it was, _"Stop gloating and lording it over me."_

"No! It's not what I meant!" Naruto hastened to add, "What I wanted to say was, it'd be good (Naruto had wanted to use the word 'great' but he just couldn't bring himself to lie in such a bold-faced manner) if you could come along. They haven't been in places with many trees and stuff, while you're like me, a Konoha shinobi, so it'd be easier to demonstrate things with you there."

Still with the frozen mask of no emotion, Kohaku answered with a mere nod and "I will see you there, then, Uzumaki-kun," before standing up to clear away her bowl and glass.

Now alone in the small kitchen, Naruto let out a grunt, a somewhat bewildered expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard from Kohaku.

"Well, at_ least _we finished _that_ conversation without anyone storming off or simply walking away."

xxxx

Many pairs of wide, earnest eyes blinked in a bemused manner. Tweens dressed in various shades of brown in practical shinobi attire stood in a loosely collected group, staring at the often-absent teacher in charge of their class, Kohaku, standing in front of the large glass doors of the greenhouse. There was an awkward silence when they had suddenly hushed, ceasing all talking, when one of them had pointed out her nearly unnoticeable presence.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I got lost!"

Naruto came running up towards them, grinning from ear to ear. Cornwall eyes gleamed with excitement as he dangled a ring of keys from his fingers. "We've got the whole greenhouse to ourselves for two hours! Let's make the best of it, yeah?"

With their ever-cheerful, regular teacher in the picture, the unquiet tension dissolved; the students clamored at the doors, Kohaku having sidestepped beforehand to avoid the predicted crowding. When the heavy brass lock unlatched, Naruto threw the doors open and all of the students hurriedly entered the greenhouse, many gasping in amazement, for it was the first time for most of them to see lush greenery in the otherwise arid desert that was the Land of Wind.

Naruto chuckled to himself as he pocketed the keys, turning towards Kohaku. "So, what 'cha make of it, Shishimiya? Pretty genius of me, huh?"

xxxx

Kohaku had been perplexed by Naruto's invitation. At first, it seemed fishy; almost suspicious, even. But Kohaku knew of Naruto - he definitely wasn't one to plot and plan things with subtle grandeur. In fact, the auburn-headed shinobi was aware of the extravagant capers that Naruto used to get himself into (And still did so, every now and then.) and knew despite that, Naruto wouldn't have the tact to use a greenhouse. Therefore, there was no room for any qualms in the matter of Naruto's invitation to join his class (Even though it was Kohaku's rightful place to join them.)

The girl opened her mouth to say, "Considering the conditions of the training grounds in Sunagakure, it was rather astute of you to come up with the idea of using the greenhouse as a training site."

As begrudging as she felt towards Naruto, she had to admit the truth. It was rather genius of the blonde to actually think of using a recreational facility like the tropical greenhouse as a training ground, since it was made to be as naturally close to the ones found in tropical climates as possible. Kohaku could not help but be impressed by his acumen.

A sense of déjà vu washed over Kohaku, making her feel the way she felt not too long ago, when Gaara had taken her out and talked to her. It reminded her of the reason why she was here in the first place, which was to give Gaara's advice a try. Why did Naruto and Gaara resemble each other so much, when they were two completely different individuals?

Kohaku was flummoxed indeed.

xxxx

Naruto lifted a blonde brow, crossing his arms behind his head as he began to walk towards the students, who were forming a line. "Well, if astute is a good thing, then thanks, I guess," there was a trace of doubt in his voice, still unsure of what to make of the strange comment made by the girl.

Seeing that the students had lined up, Naruto started reading out the instructions he'd had asked Sakura to carefully write on a piece of paper the night before. Hey, Naruto had been the one who had thought of conducting a training exercise in the greenhouse, but that didn't mean he would turn into an efficient teacher overnight, right?

"A-and remember to stick with your - goddamn how do you pronounce it - oh yes! Your partner! Stick with your partner in case you get separated from the group," Naruto finished reading the instructions with a flourish and stuffed the paper into his pocket. "Any questions?"

A dark-haired boy raised his hand. Naruto nodded in his direction. "Yeah, kid?"

"What's that sensei gonna do?" he jerked a thumb towards Kohaku, who was mutely standing a small distance behind Naruto.

Naruto rubbed his chin. "Good question. Well, Shishimiya's gonna help me set up the various traps around here to test you people! So when you hear a whistle, that's your cue to start through the obstacle course, alright?"

A chorus of 'yes' rippled among the small group of academy students, and Naruto started walking away, Kohaku quietly following him.

xxxx

"…And that's the last one!"

Rivulets of sweat gleamed as they trickled down Naruto's bare neck, him having taken off his jacket whilst tinkering with the traps in the greenhouse. Kohaku quietly tugged at the rope that held back the wind shurikens, and checked the invisible string that triggered the trap with a single pull. The training exercise had gone off without a hitch, and the students had done fairly well with minor scrapes and cuts. Now, the two Konoha shinobi were working to dislodge all of the unactivated traps before leaving. Naruto paused in wiping the sweat off his neck, watching as the girl went about, checking the trap in utter silence.

He felt uncomfortable, no doubt about it.

"Why're you so…quiet?" Naruto blurted out without meaning to.

Kohaku paused from above the tree she was in, and looked down to speak to Naruto. "I was unaware that it was a compulsory requirement to be vocal,"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, avoiding the intense look burning in Kohaku's cold eyes. As emotionless as Kohaku's eyes were, they were kind of creepy when one looked straight into them; it felt like one was staring at a horror movie doll, glassy eyes that followed your every movement. "Well, it's not really compulsory, but, oh heck, never mind," he mumbled, walking away from beneath the tree.

"Uzumaki-kun!"

Naruto, barely having time to register what was happening, found himself pinned down by a body hurtling itself towards him, both narrowly missing the onslaught of massive shurikens, now embedded on the trunk of an unfortunate tree. Realizing that he had squeezed his eyes shut in the few seconds, a dazed Naruto slowly opened one eye. Kohaku was getting off of him with a bit of difficulty, pulling herself away from Naruto. Understanding dawned upon the blonde when he looked around himself.

"Did you just _save_ me?"

Incredulity registered into Naruto's face as he surveyed the stabbed tree. He shivered to think of what would've happened to him if Kohaku hadn't been there when he accidentally triggered the trap. Naruto's hand self-consciously snaked up towards his neck.

"God, I'm such a moron," Naruto muttered distastefully, ashamed at himself for falling for his own trap. His eyes slid over to Kohaku. Her eyebrows were slightly scrunched; her face in a slight wince with an otherwise stoic expression. Naruto noticed the quivering in her right arm, as Kohaku's other hand slid into her weapons pouch, drawing out a kunai.

As the russet-haired girl raised the knife, Naruto was puzzled by her erratic movements until he realized what she was about to do.

"Hold it!" Naruto barreled towards her, ripping the kunai out of her hands in a vicious manner. His hand shook as he threw the kunai onto the ground; he was enraged.

"Are you insane?" his voice was shaky as he screamed at the silent Kohaku; it cracked on the last syllables.

Kohaku stared at him blankly. "My arm is of no use to me anymore. It is basic shinobi knowledge to get rid of any obstructions and distractions that come in the way of the mission. My broken arm is an example of that."

"Are you crazy? You don't just _hack_ off your _arm_ just because it's _broken! _You go to a freaking_ hospital_ to get it put into a cast and let the bones _heal!"_

Kohaku remained staring mutely at him, unable to answer the words that Naruto threw at her in his fit of rage. Her right arm rested uselessly against the ground; it was obvious that Kohaku was in pain from the slight expression of discomfort on her face. A quietness settled over the two as Naruto remained glaring at the girl while Kohaku returned his hard look by meeting his eyes boldly with her own.

"You're a weirdo," Naruto finally mumbled, scratching the back of his blonde head as he extended the other arm towards Kohaku.

The girl eyed Naruto's arm, seemingly wondering what was his purpose of doing so. "What - may I ask, Uzumaki-kun - am I supposed to do with that arm of yours?" she asked, voice querulous.

A pair of blonde eyebrows shot up, disappearing among the hairline. "Really, Shishimiya? Really? Do you have to ask?"

Naruto scoffed as he bent down to grab hold of Kohaku's uninjured side in a clumsy motion. Obviously, Naruto was unused to being careful and gentle.

As a pair of umber eyes trailed the loud boy's actions with observational intensity, Naruto chose to ignore them as he settled to hoist Kohaku up onto her feet. The girl stumbled a bit - she'd twisted an ankle during the fall - but her face showed no signs of the current agony she was in. Naruto had to commend her for the tenacious front she was putting up, but he had a nagging feeling that Kohaku was probably impervious to such pain, for some reason.

As Naruto kept a firm hold on the good arm he'd slung across his shoulder to support the shorter shinobi - in case she deigned to escape in her condition - Kohaku helplessly limped and shuffled alongside the blonde, obviously having difficulties keeping up with his long-legged strides.

"Uzumaki-kun. Please unhand me. I can handle myself perfectly well, and I do know the way to the hospital. I am no child."

Naruto's reply was a derisive snort and an eye roll. "Ch-yeah. And let you go to some place to lop off both your arm and foot? I may be a moron, but I'm not stupid,"

"Are they not both the same?"

"Shut up! I'm helping you out here!"

xxxx

Another of Naruto's trademark sulky scowls descended onto his face while Kohaku mulled over the situation; she was in a ruminative mood. She was not concerned about the twisted ankle - it would take a day or two, but it would be as good as new soon enough, unlike the main problem lying in her broken arm. She hadn't stopped to think when she'd pulled out the kunai - it was just one of those things that she had been trained to do; instilled into her mind since she had been old enough to begin training as a shinobi.

Naruto's vehement objection had come as a big surprise, when he had wrenched the weapon out of her hand immediately after realization dawned upon him, and it left the girl perplexed, trying to figure out why he cared so much about something that did not even concern him.

Was it because of the guilt he felt, for being the reason why she had broken her arm? Or was it because he was simply a nosy parker who stood to make things his business?

Despite the multitudes of logical explanations that swam around in Kohaku's private mind, only one thought shone among the others:

_Because it's Uzumaki Naruto._

As casuistic and erroneous - words that did not define the way Kohaku saw things - as that reason was, the girl could not shake off the strong feeling that it was the right one. Because it was Naruto. The one who cared about everyone and everything, despite their misgivings and disagreements. He, after all, was the only one who could make _that _man stand on his guard with a watchful eye.

In spite of herself, a smile crept up to Kohaku's eyes; warmth melted the cold orbs. A corner of her mouth had twisted into a tiny, barely distinct curve.

Now she knew why someone like Gaara had a high opinion of Naruto. It wasn't just childish frivolities and play that made Naruto the person he was. It was the way he handled things; the way he could put aside differences when it came down to it.

"Uzumaki-kun."

Wary cerulean eyes looked to the side, looking at the girl beside Naruto. "Yeah, Shishimiya?"

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

xxxx

"…And then she was all, _'Thank you, Naruto-kun'_ and I swear, I nearly tripped over and fell when I heard it! I had to make sure I wasn't hearing things three times before I answered her! I even checked with the doctors at the hospital to see if I suffered a heat stroke or something!"

A cool air rustled the fair locks that crowned Naruto's head gently from the air-conditioning in the domed room. Naruto was seated on a chair, legs pulled up and crossed as he folded his arms behind his head like he liked to do when he was regaling stories to people. Seated on a plush armchair, opposite of the Konoha shinobi, was the young Kazekage himself, dressed in his dignified robes of blue and white.

Presently, the two boys were having a conversation, initiated by Gaara's usual, _"How was your day, Naruto?"_ and Naruto had replied with, _"You wouldn't believe half the things that happened to me today!"_

Naruto would come by with daily reports on his and Kohaku's batch of students - because Naruto was actually the only one doing at least some work - at the end of the day, when Gaara was finally done with the paperwork that came in monstrous piles and all he wanted to do was sit down and relax. Usually, they would discuss about things like ninjutsu, taijutsu and - reluctantly on Naruto's part - geijutsu that they happened to know or hear about, and sometimes - rarely, to be exact - about political situations that happened to interest Naruto.

Basically, they didn't usually talk about things like Kohaku calling someone other than Kakashi by their first name, mainly because it never happened.

Gaara couldn't help but envy the blonde boy - after all, it wasn't like Naruto was the only one trying to chip away the harder-than-diamond shell that Kohaku was encased in. Gaara sure as hell was trying just as hard as anyone else, possibly even more that that!

It was probably wrong to admit, but Gaara was covetous of Naruto's natural ability to make anyone open up to him. Gaara wondered to maybe take some character lessons from Naruto, but then he realized a minute later, that Sunagakure would probably fall into a state of chaos if that were so. Naruto was a great guy, but he definitely needed some serious maturing first. (Not like Gaara could say that himself.)

"Did she hit herself hard on the head or something? A concussion, maybe?" Gaara asked, voice quiet and even, compared to Naruto's loud and exaggerated tones.

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. The doc said all was fine after he checked her arm and foot. Just a bit of chakra healing will have her back to normal in a week at most. Your village's got some really kickass medic-nins, you know that?"

Gaara smiled, rolling up the lengthy sleeves of the formal robes and folding his arms in the way that he felt comfortable in. "Thanks," he said, "So are you both on a first-name basis now or something?"

Naruto shrugged. "M'not so sure about that. After we were done at the hospital, Shishimiya just up and left without saying anything but 'Thank you'," he explained, "That's why I keep alternating between her name and her last name by accident. Man, it's confusing!"

Gaara tapped his fingertips on his lips thoughtfully, wondering what to say next. Really, Kohaku's mood was probably more volatile than she would like to let on, underneath that phlegmatic mask of hers. Gaara was just about near confusion just trying to unscramble the puzzle that was Kohaku.

xxxx

Letting his pale fingers run along the weathered spines of the hardback books in the massive case that held them, Gaara's jade eyes slowly scanned the kanji printed on them. Temari had called him a _'damn apeshit crazy' _workaholic when she had glanced at the clock that spelled out midnight as she had caught Gaara walking out of their small manor earlier, when she'd been groggily taking a glass of water to drink.

Gaara had had a certain clause in a set of paperwork that had been bugging him all night, despite the fact he had told himself that he would get to the archives in the library first thing in the morning and check it out. His conscience had rendered him sleepless, and for someone who was finally able to sleep after fifteen years of insomnia, it was definitely not something Gaara would like to experience ever again.

Hence the midnight visit to the library's off-limits (except to him and a few select others, of course.), restricted archives section.

As Gaara let his gaze linger between _'Compiled Works from the Kazekage Mansion' _and _'Sandy Reports'_ (Gaara wondered who the hell could think up of such stale, dumb titles.), a small noise distracted the redhead.

_Chink. Chink. Creak. Click. Tap tap tap. _

Senses immediately shifting into battle-mode alert, Gaara thought well to mask his chakra and lower his breathing until he himself could barely hear it. Slowly sliding over to where the door of the room was, Gaara could not make out any presence of a human being. But the door was slightly ajar, so there was definitely someone other than himself inside the archives.

As he directed some sand at the stand-by, Gaara slowly walked past the aisles, looking for the intruder. A slight shuffling noise attracted the wary teen, and as he walked closer to the source of the sound, he could clearly make out the sounds of pages being rustled.

A midnight bibliophile, perhaps? Gaara could hardly think of anyone who would even want to read the boring books in the restricted section - everything was about the dull politics of Sunagakure. It amazed Gaara that there were actually a fair amount of books written about the politics to fill a small room. Thinking that the authors had probably wasted their time writing about such dreary topics, Gaara sighed to himself in a pitying manner, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be looking for someone.

Seriously, who would even read about politics for _fun?_

As Gaara's eyes finally located a human shape, his night-vision started to confirm the features of the infiltrator.

Short in height; lithe stature; wisps of hair tied in a messy bun gleamed a copper sheen in the weak moonlight; a metallic glint on the bicep of the person's arm…

The floating grains of sand suddenly lacked Gaara's control as they dropped onto the wooden-boarded floor; seafoam eyes widened in incredulity.

"_Chibi?_"

* * *

**FAQ Time!**

_**So it's good Naruto and Kohaku are finally making progress, but where's the Gaara-Kohaku action at?**_  
Probablyyyyyyyyyyyy... one day.

_**If there's never going to be any Gaara-Kohaku action, does that mean the GaaraxOC thing in the summary is a fluke and it's actually NarutoxOC?**_  
Geh. Of course not. Why would I lie? And did I say there's never going to be any Gaara-Kohaku action?

**_Who the heck thinks that cutting off their broken arm will solve problems and be non-obstructive? It's darn troublesome alright, to have only one hand!_**  
You see, if you wait for later chapters, you'll probably understand why Kohaku thinks that way. Yep.

_**Why does Kohaku seem to have PMS?**_  
For a cold person like her to show emotions is probably like an alcoholic confessing about his problem. So, it's hard. (Also probably because I write the chapter at various times with different BGM soundtracks accompanying me. Curse Square Enix for coming up with awesome soundtracks!)

_** I don't think Gaara's a workaholic. Who the hell told you he was one?**_  
Well, I thought that since Gaara loves his village, he has to do everything in his power to keep it safe and peaceful, right? Paperwork included, if that's what it takes. And I think Gaara's a guy who takes his responsibilities seriously. And anyways, don't you ever have that nagging guilt when you procrastinate? 'Cause I sure did when I was doing my Principles of Accounts homework with a half-written chapter of _Lion in the Desert _waiting on the screen of my laptop.

_**Why do Naruto and Gaara have guy-talk sessions? I don't really see them doing it.**  
_I, for one, actually _do _see them doing it. After all, Gaara's the kind of guy who rarely talks to people, but probably tends to do a lot when he's with people he's comfortable with, for example, Naruto. And also, Naruto's a big blabbermouth, so who else is a better listener than the stoic (But lovable, yo!) Gaara?

And that's that! I made up these questions after I proofread the chapter myself, so I thought I'd clarify a few points in case you really didn't see 'em! Oh, and I have a question: What kind of genre do you think this story is? I'm not sure myself, so I need to ask you readers!

So, I await your constructive criticism and feedback!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla


	9. Conundrums

Author: I know it's been almost two weeks, but I'm back again with another chapter of _Lion in the Desert_!

I actually intended to post this chapter up two weeks ago, but then I came down with a ghastly viral fever AND the flu. I know - I'm SO lucky. Geh. Also, I had to help with the Chinese New Year preparations for my house - y'know, the cleaning, decorating and refurbishing…

God, I'm rambling again.

Sorry! Anyways, I'm glad to see that Kohaku's still in a favorable light for you readers. I'm elated - seriously. So, I'm dedicating this chapter to both Gaara and Kohaku in light of their birthdays and to you awesome readers! Oh, and I guess to me too, since yesterday was my Lunar birthday. Happy Belated Lunar Birthday to me!

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who did her job even though she was busy doing food preps for CNY!  
_LadyAmazon__RandomNinja239  
__ichigo1508  
__Jessluvswriting  
__Anonymous_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, a whole lot of characters would have more screen time.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

"_Chibi?_"

Indeed, as the silvery stream of moonlight grew stronger, the beams illuminated Kohaku's features. She stood in front of a bookcase, hands seemingly frozen on the books. Slowly, Kohaku removed her hands and turned to face Gaara; her features were placid, void of any emotions.

_"As usual," _thought Gaara, wondering what was she doing in the restricted section of the library and how she got in.

"Kazekage-sama," Kohaku regarded Gaara's presence as she inclined her head slightly.

Considering the place and time of night they were in, it didn't come as much of a surprise as tension hung weightily in the air. The only sound was the slight rattling of windows, as gales of sand-laced wind beat against the window.

Finally, Gaara spoke.

"What are you doing here? This is a restricted section. I can't imagine having given you the permission to enter here," he asked, narrowing his dark-ringed eyes in suspicion.

"The door was open, so I helped myself inside," was Kohaku's quiet reply, "No one can deny the nudges of human curiosity,"

Only, Gaara had been convinced that Kohaku was probably no more human than a puppet. But still, that was his own opinion, as silly as it seemed.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Kohaku's eyes shifted away from Gaara's, turning onto the rows of books in front of her. The young Kazekage wasn't sure whether to peg this as a suspicious action or not, since it seemed to be neither to him.

"I was… in a state of insomnolence."

Gaara blinked. "What's that mean?"

Her presence seemed to get even more suspicious by the minute. Questions surfaced in Gaara's mind, begging to be asked; to demand answers from the secretive girl. Every action she made seemed to become more shifty in Gaara's opinion.

Kohaku let out a small sigh. "I was unable to sleep," she said quietly, running her fingers across the wooden shelf repeatedly.

"Unable to sleep?" the redhead echoed, confused. Somehow, insomnia was something that Gaara had difficulty associating with Kohaku. Rigid, strict Kohaku who seemed to be the kind of person who followed a schedule of precision; waking up early, eating three square meals a day, a nine o'clock bedtime regime…

"Exactly as it sounds," was Kohaku's cold reply.

"Why the library, though?" Gaara was curious to know, "I can't even begin to imagine how you got in here. If I remember correctly, the library's always locked up during the night,"

xxxx

Kohaku gave the Kazekage a brief, sideways glance before returning to look at the books lining the shelves. Why did this peace-loving Kazekage have to be so intrusive? Did he not know how to respect other people's privacy?

But then…

It had not been the entire truth when she had said she wasn't able to sleep. Her insomnia was no accident at all.

"You speak the truth, but the head librarian has kindly provided me with a key to be able to access the library any time I wish to,"

xxxx

Gaara had an expression of query on his face. "The head librarian did?"

He could distinctly recall the person that Kohaku spoke of. A strict woman, who always had her salt-and-pepper hair in a tight bun and dressed in beige, pressed robes, Gaara himself was slightly intimidated by the way her mouth was always set into a grim, thin-lipped line. She was fiercely protective of the library, so much that even the most badly-behaved didn't dare to deface anything within the vicinity of the library.

How was it possible that Kohaku was actually able to get a key into the library when she wasn't even a villager of Sunagakure?

Gaara wasn't going to insist that Kohaku give up her key - the power to do that resided within the head librarian herself. It only puzzled him that a woman as strict as her had easily given Kohaku access to her precious, sacrosanct library, since the librarian found young people as likable as roaches were.

"Of course she did. Who else would, Kazekage-sama? The books?"

Evidently, Kohaku could be sarcastic when she wanted, insomnia or not.

Gaara ran his fingers through his thick red hair, sighing. Since it was the middle of the night, Gaara decided to let it pass. As used as he was to staying up during the night in his days when he still had the Ichibi sleeping within him, Gaara was weary from the multitudes of paperwork he had done earlier in the afternoon.

But the question he had still persisted. "Why would she give a key to the library to you?"

Kohaku frowned slightly; really, did the reason as to why she had been given a copy of the key to the library's main doors really matter that much? "Whether if the reason is profound or not, there is no reason for me to tell you,"

"There is," Gaara narrowed his eyes at her avoiding the question, "I am the Kazekage of Sunagakure - I command you to tell me how did you get a copy of the key. You aren't even a villager from here,"

xxxx

"When one knows how to properly appreciate the world of ink and paper," Kohaku softly quipped, recalling the words the elderly librarian had said when she had given the keys to her,"Differentiations do not matter,"

Indeed, the librarian had been curious to find the titian-headed kunoichi visiting from another village on a mission, to be a frequent visitor of the library.

At first, she assumed the girl needed some reference to better familiarize herself with the customs of Sunagakure that were foreign to Konoha shinobi, but then when she had started to take note of the books the girl favored, it was then that the librarian had figured that Kohaku was no mere ignoramus who didn't know how to treat books with proper care.

So, she decided to do the young girl a favor and provide her with access to the general sections of the library, twenty-four-seven, surprising many of the staff in the library. After all, it was rare to find a person below the age of thirty that the head librarian_ didn't_ find irritating.

xxxx

Gaara was slightly taken aback by Kohaku's sudden flair for poetic phrases. Bewildered, he said, "So, I suppose we shouldn't linger any longer here. You're not even allowed in here. Only authorized personnel and authorities are supposed to have access to this section,"

Kohaku steeled her eyes as they met Gaara's. She took her hands off the shelf and let them hang by her sides, stepping away.

"Please excuse my impertinence, Kazekage-sama," she started walking towards the exit, without even stopping to look him in the eye, "Good night,"

xxxx

Along the deserted street, the only sounds that could be heard above the softly howling wind were of soft footsteps falling against the sand-covered ground. The gibbous moon high in the sky shone as brightly as it could; unhindered by the many swathes of desert clouds cottoning the dark sky. Kohaku pulled at the forest-green cloak hanging around her shoulders, shielded from the gales of the desert winds.

As she continued on her way, her eyes shifted to one side, looking out from the corner of one eye.

"Kazekage-sama. I believe the mansion is situated on the opposite side of the village,"

Stepping away from the shadows of the surrounding shophouses and into the moonlight, Gaara arched a brow; so Kohaku was perceptive as he'd thought she would be, judging by the way she carried herself cautiously all the time.

"Not bad," Gaara said thoughtfully, falling into step with Kohaku in a few, easy strides, "Not many people can detect my presence with the way I masked it,"

Kohaku merely answered with a brief, insolent look; she was definitely not too pleased with the way Gaara kept popping up and disrupting her peace.

Why, though?

That was the question Kohaku always asked herself whenever Gaara rudely (In her opinion) interrupted or disturbed her. The number of times where Gaara had disrupted her when she'd been reading was lost to Kohaku already, for after the tenth time, she had decided to give up on caring about it.

Evidently, the Kazekage of Sungakure had a stubborn streak, one that could not be erased with one, well-practised glare.

He irked her more than Naruto did - a feat thought to be impossible by most; in fact, most people (A conclusion reached from a few day's observation) found an annoying Gaara to be unthinkable. In short, Kohaku was probably the only one who found Gaara irksome.

"You seem to think an awful lot," Gaara's low voice broke into Kohaku's thoughts.

"You seem to talk an awful lot," Kohaku snapped back, steeling her cold gaze as their eyes locked together briefly.

Gaara held back the smirk threatening to bloom on his face. "Well, I might talk less if you responded more," he reasoned.

"The only reason why I do not respond to your words is because I have nothing to say about them," was Kohaku's cold reply.

"I heard you called Naruto by his first name today,"

Kohaku paused, turning her head slightly to glance at Gaara. "I will avoid asking how that piece of information came to your knowledge," her tone was curt.

"Why don't you call me by my first name?" Gaara persisted.

The howling wind started to settle down, replaced by lonely, melancholy howls of coyotes in the distance. Their feet crunched through the grains of sand as they left imprints behind them. Kohaku seemed to be mulling over Gaara's question, with the way her brows furrowed together.

"Naruto-kun… he is a very interesting individual," her words were so soft; Gaara could hardly hear her.

But he did. He cocked his head to the side; Kohaku wasn't wrong about that. Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara could see that a very strange expression had appeared on Kohaku's face. An anomalous cross between confusion and fondness; it was like she was having a hard time deciding which of the two she wanted to feel.

He realized, as he looked into her eyes with discretion, that the cold chills he had felt when they had first met did not crawl down his back like they did before. Instead of the gelid, calculative gleam that gave the impression of a cruel dictator in a tyrannical reign of dominance, he could tell that the invisible frost had thawed out a little; like the end of winter welcoming the arrival of spring.

"So, Naruto got through to you?"

He noticed that he had become lost in the unfathomable eyes of Kohaku's. They weren't ones that gave of the impression of being a deep, soul-sucking abyss; how was that possible, if there was still the frigid shell that wasn't entirely gone? He had been trudging through the snow, trying to find… what exactly was he looking for? Gaara was uncertain.

"I do not care to comment on that question, and neither do I feel inclined to answer it," came the frosty reply.

Putting aside his thoughts, Gaara said, "I assumed that Naruto's influence would make you want to make an attempt, Chibi."

Narrowing her eyes in distaste at the nickname, Kohaku released her hold on the folds of the cloak around her shoulders, letting her hands fall limp by her sides. "I only said that he is interesting; I never insinuated to any evidence of his influencing me,"

"And yet, here you are, actually making an effort to be part of the conversation," a slight smirk touched Gaara's lips, "Before, you wouldn't even bother to spare me so much as a glance."

The auburn-headed girl made a small noise; probably a snort of derision of sorts. "That is hardly close to the real reason," she muttered under her breath.

Gaara's face held an expression of mock interest. "Oh? And what would that real reason be?"

"You are doubtlessly more vexing than ten of Naruto-kun put together," replied an irritated Kohaku, "Absolutely obnoxious,"

"Oh, so I _mean _something to you," Gaara raised his brows, tapping his fingers on his chin thoughtfully, "That's interesting,"

The dim glow of the street lamps lit up Kohaku's features, and Gaara took note of the clearly displeased look on her face. It was strange - Kohaku was reacting more passionately to Gaara's remarks; she was showing more emotion than he'd seen her display before. Was this Naruto's doing?

Not really, Gaara answered his own question. Kohaku was more prone to showing chagrin and being flustered when he dealt with her from Day One - he'd just never really taken notice of it before. But why now, though? When did he start noticing the little things about Kohaku that he'd never noticed before?

Perplexed lines imprinted themselves in between Gaara's brows - this certainly was a puzzling conundrum.

xxxx

Kohaku had decided to ignore Gaara's teasing. She was ashamed of herself - she had never let herself be affected by anything that anyone said. _Never_. What was it about the redheaded, lily-livered Kazekage with the peace-loving tattoo of 'love' on his forehead that made her let her icy shell crack?

She averted her russet eyes away from the jade depths of Gaara's eyes - any more of it would make her let her defenses down completely. The way the young Kazekage stared into her eyes was unnerving - she could almost heard the cogs clinking and whirring in his mind as he attempted to read into her.

It was definitely not a good thing.

But then again…

For some reason, the green-eyed boy affected her in a way that was almost harrowing to the copper-headed girl. Ridiculous, the way she had a difficult time trying to compose herself whenever Gaara successfully pushed all the right buttons to antagonize her.

Shaking her head - mentally, of course - Kohaku was determined to not let the Suna shinobi get to her. She had gone on for many years without deviating off the course of things she had carefully planned out. Now was not the time for foolishness and audacity.

Focus on the mission. The mission was all that mattered.

* * *

Author: Not one of my greatest chapters, but I tried my best! It's pretty short, I do hope you'll like this, though, since it's a fundamental building block for Kohaku and Gaara. Hopefully, the next chapter will be longer. This is a purty important chapter, where Kohaku and Gaara up one level of their unconfirmed relationship.

**FAQ Time!**

**Kohaku's pretty shifty. What's her deal?**

Shiftiness. Really. I can't really give away anything that could possibly mean spoiling the whole thing, so… guess you'll have to satiate your curiosity with extrapolations!

**Gaara's so chatty! It's unreal!**

I've always thought that Gaara was a chatty kind of person, since he's pretty opinionated. Opinionated people are loquacious, no?

**Why is Kohaku so obsessed with her mission?**

Because… you'll see. Or maybe she's just a hardcore workaholic. Yeah. That's it!

Anyways, I'll probably miss the update this weekend too, because I'll be busy celebrating Chinese New Year with the family. Lotsa Mandarin oranges, red packets, candy and fireworks! Yay! I'd like to wish any Chinese readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year too!

As always, don't forget that constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Read and review!

Luv,

Pichuzilla


	10. Labels

Author: Back with the next chapter of Lion in the Desert! I'd have love to post this up earlier, but my internet connection was worse than usual, so yeah…

It stopped PMS-ing on me, so here it is!

So, today's the 16th of February. Guess what day is it today?

…Lemme give you a hint.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME  
I'D LIKE A REAL-LIFE PICHU BADLY  
I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FIFTEEN  
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's celebrating her fifteenth birthday today too!  
_wordcrafter  
__Child-1763  
__QueenoftheKill  
__Shifuni  
__Jessluvswriting_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Tobi and Madara would be two different people, 'cause Tobi's a good boy!

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

Deep down underneath the earthy ground, lay a hollow expanse of a dimly lit room, carved out from a massive acre of aged rocks. Rivulets of water trickled down the walls, dripping into a slowly forming puddle in a rhythmic pace, echoing faintly in the vast underground chamber.

Presently, two figures, enveloped in bland shades of beige-green cloaks walked alongside each other, across the brick bridge that stretched across the ravine in the middle of the underground hall.

Clearly, the musty dampness of the chamber did nothing to bother them, but this was uncertain, as their faces were completely concealed by animalistic porcelain masks, save for separate locks of sable and russet hair.

"Sir," two baritone voices intermingled with each other as the broad-shouldered figures came to a complete halt at the end of the bridge, in front of a hollowed out space where a solid throne of stone rested on a raised pedestal. The both got onto one knee, backs hunched over in respect.

A shadowy figure was sitting on the straight-backed throne; he was completely covered in the dark shadows casted over him, like most of the darkness engulfed places of the chamber.

"I trust you bring news from the neighboring land?" a ragged voice croaked from within the tenebrous darkness.

"Yes, sir," one of the two - the one with the red-inked corvine mask - got off his knee and his gloved hands snaked forwards; a scroll rested on the upturned palms of his black-gloved hands.

A weather-beaten hand, riddled with age lines, reached forward; bony fingers closed around the scroll, pulling it back. There was a rustle of paper as the two masked men waited patiently; the corvine-masked one had resumed to his submissive position again.

"Hm… it seems like our plant has successfully integrated itself into the system without any trouble," the voice rasped again, "But a particularly irksome obstruction has left little to be accomplished at the moment,"

One of the masked men, this time the one with the black-inked ursine mask, raised his head. "Would you like for us to go check on the situation at hand?"

The crepuscular figure starting laughing - it was low and wheezy, more of a bark rather than a laugh."No, that won't be necessary," he rasped, "We must be patient, and bide our time. In time, I will send someone else to check on the plant. Now, you may be dismissed,"

xxxx

"Chins up; shoulders braced! Proper throwing posture_ must_ be maintained if you want to actually_ hit _something!"

Naruto decided that he liked screaming himself hoarse as the group of teenagers standing in a row in front of him followed his orders and with a satisfying series of thuds, twenty separate kunai sang through the air and landed on the marks, their targets stationary in front of them.

"What do you think of their progress?" Naruto turned to the silent observer beside him, "Not bad for three months of continuous practice, huh?"

Russet eyes darted back and forth assessing the clean damage done to the targets. Kohaku nodded; a slight movement of her head that was barely noticeable. "Adequate progress," she concluded softly.

Watching from a short distance away, stood Gaara. The brightly shining non-toxic morning sun made for a Vitamin D-filled exercise that marked the third month since Team Kakashi accepted the mission.

With some incredible miracles and Naruto's exceptional people skills, the Naruto-Kohaku duo had finally managed to overcome their differences and work together. Despite this, the redhead could not help but give a slightly troubled frown beneath his stiff-necked collar.

Instead of assessing the two shinobi's aptitude in teaching the students of his village's academy - which, as a Kazekage, was something he was supposed to do - Gaara had been studying every movement Kohaku made. Ever since that unorthodox midnight stroll a few months ago, Gaara found that he'd been watching Kohaku more closely than usual; he didn't know why he did it, but he always caught himself sliding his eyes over to where Kohaku stood.

Now, as he studied her, it was like something about her was different.

What _was _different, exactly?

Nothing much about the titian-haired girl had physically changed - her height remained as short as ever; that perpetual expression of nothingness was, well, _perpetual_; she still carried that stiff air of refined dignity; people still found her presence eldritch… in short, she remained as antisocial as always.

But since he'd taken to basically stalking (But of course, Gaara refused to admit it) the girl with his eyes whenever she was around him, the young Kazekage could tell when something was different or off about the girl.

"_For one,"_ Gaara drily thought to himself as he started pointing out the viable differences, _"There is a slight downwards curve on her lips, which shows she's either constantly deep in thought, or under a lot of stress but prefers to keep quiet about it,"_

And there was also that far-off look in her eyes. As detached as they seemed to be with only a glance, one could tell with intense observation that Kohaku was in a ruminative mood; a subtly troubled gleam behind the aloofness of the russet orbs.

Gaara liked to think that he was someone who didn't involve himself in other people's business. Really, he couldn't care less about things that did not involve him, the people he cared about or his village, but Kohaku was someone who intrigued the curious Kazekage to no end. Just simply looking at her somewhat suspicious actions called for deeper investigation for Gaara.

Strange.

xxxx

"So, I haven't seen you in quite a while, Chibi."

A pair of russet eyes looked up from the thick, hard-backed book lying open on the wooden table. Piles of books were neatly arranged in a gently curving arc around the open book, forming a defensive wall of sorts. If not for the freakishly neat way the books were settled, Gaara would've thought that someone else was in Kohaku's favorite corner of the library.

Actually, the thought of someone else being in Kohaku's corner of the library gave Gaara a strange, convoluted feeling in the stomach. He couldn't imagine anyone else feeling right at home surrounded by four shelves packed full with desperately boring (In Gaara's opinion) titles.

"Kazekage-sama. Good afternoon."

As Gaara's seafoam-colored eyes locked in a hard gaze with Kohaku's hazel-brown ones, an uncomfortable silence hung weightily in the air. An inquiring glaze settled over Kohaku's usual nonchalance as she remained where she was, sitting in the wooden chair at the table.

"You don't come here that often anymore," Gaara commented at last, breaking the tension, "Not since the night I caught you,"

"If you have extrapolated ideas for my less frequent visits to the library from that, I have to say that you are sorely fallacious, Kazekage-sama," came the cold, detached voice of Kohaku's, "I merely have had some work that needed my full attention,"

Ah. That parlance that was so uniquely Kohaku. How had Gaara ever managed to live without the confusion it caused him?

"I was just saying that we haven't had any face-to-face meetings since then," the redhead decided to rectify his earlier sentence, "Although we've been in each other's company for quite a few number of times for the past few months, we haven't really gotten to talk at all, don't you think?"

Kohaku chose to give no reply as her eyes flickered back to the book lying open in front of her; attention back to solely focusing on the book. Gaara took it upon himself to drag a chair over to the table and sit next to Kohaku.

xxxx

Hearing the distinct sounds of furniture scraping across the floor, and the sudden burst of warmth on her right side, Kohaku knew that Gaara had unceremoniously taken it upon himself to make himself comfortable next to her.

Really now, what was the point of her avoiding the library if Gaara just pretended like they were good friends despite the fact that they hadn't spoken to each other in two months?

Tapping a finger softly against the pages of the book, Kohaku willed for Gaara to up and disappear. What the redheaded boy found so entertaining about talking to an unresponsive person like her escaped the girl's knowledge. Those books that she had read on social interactions were nothing but full of ridiculous lies.

_Social Don'ts #5 : Don't ever be unresponsive during a conversation. Your friend will assume that you find the conversation boring and a waste of time. This will result in bitter enmity and you'll find yourself with one less friend. _

Blasphemy.

Ever since Kohaku realized that she was beginning to lose her disciplined shell, she had been reading on how to get rid of people. More specifically, Gaara. The last thing the auburn-haired girl needed was a Kazekage who was constantly around her. It was bad enough that he was extremely close friends with her housemate, Naruto. Gaara was often around to visit Naruto when they had days off, but Kohaku had easily avoided meeting him by barricading herself in her room with books mass-borrowed from the library.

She went out of her way to avoid him, because he was dangerous. He made her forget the sense of duty as easily as it was to breathe. He made her _feel._ Just one irksome comment from him set her off like a fuse of a bomb - definitely something Kohaku needed to avoid at all costs.

Well, since the lily-livered boy was here, she might as well take a stab at asking him.

"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama, but is there any way you could be able to grant me access to the restricted section of the library?"

xxxx

"Is that a voice I hear?" Gaara's voice was set to his best mockingly disbelieving tone at once, as soon as Kohaku finally broke her short vow of silence.

Once again, he had been watching her side profile as she read her book, blatantly ignoring his presence. He took casual note of the way wisps of coppery hair fell against the back of her neck, managing to escape the loosely-knotted bun sitting high on the back of Kohaku's head. Bangs ghosted her vacant eyes, which were darting right to left at an incredible speed as she continued to read her book.

At one point of Gaara's life, someone had had the courage to tell him that he was a scary person - you couldn't just ignore his presence because it was too dominant; too commanding. Right then, the redhead had felt compelled to find the person and refer him to Kohaku's brazen performance of paying no attention to him.

"You…" Kohaku's narrowed eyes gave the redhead a strange sense of satisfaction. Maybe it came from knowing that he was still able to push all the right buttons to irritate Kohaku; obviously, the Kazekage found it entertaining to see the stoic, calm Kohaku in an annoyed state.

"So Chibi, would you like to accompany me to the teashop down the street later?" Gaara offered without thinking, surprising himself. As strange as her question was, Gaara decided to put it aside for later, "It's good to take a break once in a while, you know. That's what Temari tells me all the time,"

xxxx

Of all things Kohaku found impossible, this particular situation was the hardest to deem possible. Her and Gaara, sitting at a table in the restaurant that she liked to frequent after visits to the library, and having a somewhat civilized conversation over tea, dumplings and mochi.

Had the balance in the universe gone awry?

"So…," Gaara trailed off, wondering what to say next. The past half an hour had been alright; Kohaku, appeased by the many mochi offered to her, was more or less obliged to answer Gaara's questions. It felt like deja vu for the both of them, with the way Gaara was paying and managing to make the girl talk against her will.

Kohaku looked up at Gaara from her plate. For some reason, she was paying more attention to him than usual; she felt more conscious around him than she had ever been. Was it because they hadn't been alone together for such a long time? Kohaku didn't know.

Wondering, Kohaku then remembered her earlier question that Gaara had failed to answer. Well, since Gaara had finally stopped his barrage of questions, she might as well take another shot.

"Kazekage-sama, as I was asking earlier, is it possible for you to grant me access to the restricted section of the library?"

Gaara, attention abruptly pulled back by Kohaku's question, lifted a querulous brow. "What part of 'restricted' do you not understand?" he asked with a mild tone, "If normal villagers of Sunagakure are unable to enter that room, what are the chances of an outsider like you being able to have access to the place? After all, it is the archive of sensitive information,"

Point taken. Kohaku gave the redhead a mute nod of understanding, picking up a stick and nibbling on the dumplings.

"Why are you so interested in getting inside there anyway, Chibi?" Gaara wanted to know, "There's nothing much to read in there. It's all old reports of missions and other things like that,"

"Curiosity," was Kohaku's short answer. Gaara couldn't help but notice how her eyes refused to meet his, which was strange, considering the fact that the Kohaku he knew like to meet everyone's gaze head-on when they were talking to her. He assumed that it was because she was well-versed in conversation etiquette, despite her dislike for conversing with people.

"Oh really?" Gaara's tone was disbelieving, as was his expression, "I would think you were trying to do something potentially harmful to my village by gathering information of sorts,"

A cold glare from Kohaku was shot at Gaara, which made him smirk back in return. "I was _joking_," he said, the smirk still present on his face, "Ever heard of that word?"

"Of course I have," Kohaku snapped testily, frowning deeply. Seeing her troubled expression made Gaara heave a good-natured sigh. Was she really that big on the subject of politics? Did she have a burning ambition to be the next Hokage, perhaps? Looks like Naruto was going to have more competition, if that were the case.

"If you really want to read the books in there, you could just give me a vague idea of what kind of subjects interest you, and maybe I'll try to see if I can get some out for you,"

Gaara realized he'd spoken without thinking. Really, what was wrong with him today? First, he had asked her to accompany him to the teashop despite the well-known fact that Gaara was a man of solitary dining, and then now offering to do something like that for her? Did Kohaku mean more to him than he'd originally thought? Instead of an extremely antisocial girl who hated human company and was on the short side, maybe the labels had switched out without his noticing. But if that was so…

What was Kohaku to him now?

* * *

Author: I'm attempting to take a stab at the first jolts of the romance. See how bad I am at it? I do hope the progress is believable, though.

**FAQ Time!**

**What's the restricted section all about?  
**It's essentially the archive where Sunagakure's scribes seal and file their works in. Anything and everything top secret or particularly significant can be found in it. Its other name is, unimaginatively, the Archives. See why I call it the restricted section instead? It's got more of a badass feel, no?

**Gaara's tea time is…?  
**Well, for this story, Gaara likes to eat an afternoon snack in teashops. And he likes to do it alone. See the significance in him inviting Kohaku alone?

**What happened to the guy who told Gaara that he was scary?  
**Still alive, but now married with a wife and two kids. No, Gaara had nothing to do with it.

**Gaara. Has. No. Eyebrows.  
**Yes, I know that, but that's only what you_ see_. He's actually got some, but they're just… hairless? Like the Thai monks I saw on the telly. (Seriously, with his raccoon eyes, it's actually a good thing they're hairless. It would be weird if he did have eyebrows with his black-ringed eyes.)

**Who are the shady characters in the beginning of the chapter?  
**People who will play a part in the bigger picture. Oh_ yeah_.

So now, I'll be leaving you waiting for the next chapter! As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,

The Newly-Fifteen-Year-Old-But-Doesn't-Ever-Want-To-Be-Fifteen Pichuzilla


	11. Imaginations

Author: Sorry 'bout the two-week hiatus! I failed to mention during the previous chapter that I'd be having the term assessment exams, so I would have no time to write and stuff. I am truly sorry! Lots of hijinks ensued during the week, as a result of stress and lack of sleep. MCB lost it one night before our Chemistry exam.

Pichu: So, have you memorized the qualitative analysis notes already?  
MCB: *blank stare* You mean identifying cations and gases?  
Pichu: And anions.  
*silence*  
MCB: OMIGOD I HAVEN'T STUDIED MY ONIONS!

And she kept repeating 'onions' for the remainder of the night. She kept insisting I sniff her magical healing blankie, while I lost it a while later too, announcing for her to replace the Bracelet of Hope, which was really the bracelet I got in Bali last December, onto my wrist. Our mom merely stared at us and shook her head.

Thank God the exams are over!

By the way… REVIEWS PASSED THE 50 MARK! I'M SO HAPPY! Thank you for always supporting me!

And also, thank you for all the birthday wishes! It was nice, knowing that readers that don't even really know me actually said that they would really like to present me with a real-life Pichu. I feel so loved! Sniff.

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been kind in helping me get through extreme exhaustion during assessment week with her magic blankie!  
_Jessluvswriting  
__Shifuni  
__Child-1763  
__ichigo1508  
__Anonymous  
__LadyAmazon  
__ruan-san  
__Coda Lys_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Tobi and Madara would be two different people, 'cause Madara's a complete dick. Pardon my language.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

When Kohaku had been drafted as Sai's replacement three months ago, she had only known of Sunagakure's famous Fifth Kazekage by his face in depictions and rumors that flew around faster than a top-class messenger hawk a few months before, swirling around the headquarters in hushed whispers and loud exclamations.

_'Did ya hear? The Fourth Kazekage's kid has replaced him!'_

_'Really? You mean the jinchuuriki that lost control a few years back?'_

_'Wasn't that just a rumor?'_

_'I don't think so; that day Naruto came back looking pretty beat-up with the Godaime's apprentice and the Uchiha kid,'_

_'He must be pretty strong, eh? To think - he's the youngest kage in the history of shinobi!'_

Now, Kohaku saw more than just a young prodigy who had suffered through many hardships that she could not even begin to comprehend. Or care about, for that matter. Gaara was… Gaara. The redheaded boy with the peace-loving tattoo of 'love' that he so proudly carried around on the left side of his forehead.

Rude, blatant and unpredictable. That certainly was not what Kohaku had expected from somebody that made hot-headed adult shinobi humbly bow their heads; the person that Kohaku had been certain to not know on a first-hand basis at all.

On contrary, though, Kohaku was closer to Gaara than anyone from a third-person's view could have ever guessed. No one expected for Kohaku to actually make subtle personality changes when it came to the redhead, especially Kohaku herself.

It surprised her, to have Kakashi point out that Kohaku was slowly transforming as days passed, as horribly cliche as it sounded. Given though, that this transformation was only limited to Gaara, but it certainly was better than having only Kakashi to coax information out of Kohaku when she was not being her most cooperative. Naruto was able to do so if he tried, but he was rather clumsy at the approach and usually ended up making Kohaku startled like a baby deer, the result being a Kohaku withdrawn into her spartan bedroom for hours on end.

_Why_, though? Kohaku was rather intent to know as she looked at Gaara askance as he got up to pay for their tea. Why did the Kazekage affect her so? She had looked through the entire section of psychological science in the library, and she hadn't gotten her answer.

Why was Gaara able to make her forget herself?

xxxxx

Gaara felt a small sense of peace as he walked down the street with Kohaku, the both of them blending in with the afternoon crowd without a problem. With tea and dumplings having refreshed his work-weary mind, Gaara was sure that he had completely meant the offer he had made to Kohaku. After all, if you're able to detect the subtle price change in the receipt that the new cashier had surreptitiously keyed into the bill, that meant your mind was functioning properly, was it not?

Kohaku had deigned to remain silent, as she always did when she found nothing to criticize anyone about or the lack of need to explain herself. She wasn't one to initiate conversations, Kohaku was.

It amazed Gaara how at ease he felt with the girl now, despite the fact there was a jumble of nerves thrown into the mix. Gaara decided to ignore the alien feeling of trepidation and familiarize himself with the amiability between the two of them. When did this happen?

Was it the less than orthodox midnight stroll that had changed things? No, it couldn't be. He would have noticed it by then. Somehow, things had probably begun to change before that, only that the transformation had occurred with tiny strokes to the picture, completely altering the relationship between the two shinobi as the end result.

They were no longer just employer and employee. They were… something else. Was 'friends' a good word to use? Gaara could hardly believe it, but was that how it was, the altered relationship between the two of them? He was back to the question that was often plaguing his mind as of late.

"Shishi- wait. Koha- wait. Sh-Ko- Ah heck! Shishimiya Kohaku!" a loud outburst from behind the two companions made the both of them stop in their tracks, turning their heads slightly to see the speaker.

Naruto stood a little distance away from the two of them. The crowd had thinned out, so there was not much obstructing their view of each other, save for the little child that had darted through to chase after a terrified cat. Naruto had his jacket wrung around his waist, still unused to the high temperatures that Suna often experienced.

"Naruto-kun," Kohaku turned around and took a few obligatory steps towards the blonde, "Do you require my assistance?"

The cerulean-eyed boy rubbed at his scarred cheek in sheepishness as he grinned at his teammate. "Sure do! Actually…"

Naruto's voice trailed off into an incoherent murmur as Gaara tuned out his friend's voice. All forms of speech and hearing were lost on Gaara, as his eyes betrayed him and found… something.

Kohaku was_ smiling_.

It wasn't an apparent one, but after many weeks of observation (As the redhead liked to call his eye-stalking) Gaara's well-practised eyes could see it. As she listened to the jinchuuriki's tirade, a whisper of a smile appeared on her face, apparently sympathizing with whatever Naruto's plight was. There was the slight curve to the corners of Kohaku's mouth, the unmistakable trace of a smile, no matter that magnitude of it; how long had Gaara been wanting to see it again?

Pretty damn long, actually.

A dull ache started to throb in Gaara's chest; it took self-restraint to not reach his hand up to contemplate where it hurt. His head started to throb as well, and his eyes felt prickly. Troubled, Gaara wanted to get away. Fast.

As he took a faltering step backwards, Kohaku turned to look at him, cutting Naruto off. The usual practiced look of vacancy was back on Kohaku's face as he questioned him, "Are you going to take your leave now, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara felt a chill run down his spine; the dull aching had morphed into a convoluted gnawing. "Ye-," his voice caught in his throat, surprising him. What was wrong with him? "Yes. I have some more paperwork that I need to finish before retiring to my quarters for the day," His voice quaked slightly, but was decidedly stronger than his first attempt.

"Thank you for your kind hospitality in indulging me," Kohaku said, voice as unaffected and quiet as ever, "Good day to you,"

"Bye, Gaara! I'll see you around!" Naruto added as Gaara nodded wordlessly, hasty to leave as quickly as he possibly could.

xxxxx

In the dark, air-conditioned office that Gaara usually found dreary to be in, it surprised the redhead that it was strangely comforting to him at the moment. He had drawn the curtains and switched off the lights as soon as he entered. The familiar surroundings that bored him everyday did not seem to bad to him right now, especially as he laid his head on the table, hand now free to poke and prod at his chest.

What happened?

The reaction he had been keeping to himself was a startling one. What did the throbbing mean? Was he experiencing premature atherosclerosis? Coronary disease? Hereditary heart failure? It couldn't be. He wasn't exactly obese and his lifestyle made sure of that. So… what was it?

A dull ache that Gaara found impossible to comprehend, or bear, for that matter. It was ludicrous. Gaara had gotten worse injuries before - heck, he'd even died at one point before being revived!

He could not bear to close his black-ringed eyes. After he had entered the safe haven of his office, he had attempted to close his eyes for a short rest, passing off the strange symptoms as exhaustion.

Then, he saw them.

Vivid images of owlish, blank eyes of hazel staring at him with a troubled gleam.

Then, the eyes were slowly accompanied by a smile; one that took much effort to be produced, a rarity.

The picture faded away, replaced with a turned back. It was familiar; wisps of titian hair resting against the mandarin collar of the shirt of her choice for the day, having escaped the hold of the loose bun on top of the head, and the knot of her forehead protector wound around her upper arm. The back seemed to be getting farther, and farther away...

Panicked, Gaara's eyes had flown open, the dull ache starting to intensify at an alarming rate. Not good.

Clearly, Gaara had to add another problem to the shelf that held his private woes.

xxxxx

Gaara felt terrible.

To be more blunt, he felt like crap.

He had hardly gotten a blink of sleep during the night before, and he wasn't too happy about it. After fifteen years of obligatory insomnia, the redhead had been happy to finally be able to enjoy the privilege of a human need that had not been an option for him before. Now, it was like the universe was working against him by means of enforcing insomnia on him.

Well, to be fair, it was probably Gaara's own fault for the inability to go to sleep. After all, he had been unable to tone down on the lucid images that appeared in his mind's eye as soon as he closed his eyes. The throbbing had finally ceased, though. It only left an incomprehensible ache that Gaara easily ignored.

Gaara sighed, massaging his temples as he stamped yet another file and tossed it onto the precariously towering pile of documents beside him. At the very least, the mutinous desk work was at least doing something as it diverted his attention from wandering into the undecipherable again.

_Knock knock knock._ A pause_. Knock knock knock. _Another pause_. Knock knock knock._

"Let yourself in," Gaara wearily called out, never ceasing his mechanical reading and stamping.

The door creaked open and closed shut softly. Footsteps padded toward the desk, and a small noise of a throat clearing was indication for Gaara to greet his visitor. So he put down his stamp and looked up.

To look into the very same pair of eyes that had been the cause of a restless night.

"Ah. The knocking pattern, riddled with the stony silence. I should've known," Gaara hoped his voice passed off as his normal tones of quiet confidence.

Kohaku raised her eyebrows slightly. "Was I to announce my intent to come here before arriving?" her blank eyes bore into his own eyes.

Damn it.

"Rather charming this morning, aren't you?" Gaara averted his eyes, intent on focusing them on anywhere but her.

"Has a solecism occurred on my part?" her voice was even; subtly questioning, "It seems as if you would like for nothing more than to see me out of this office,"

She was rather perceptive this morning, too. Gaara hoped that his response would be blase enough. "Although I have no idea what your question was, I suppose you're rather mistaken in my wanting you out of my sight,"

"Kazekage-sama, it would seem like you have misheard me. I made an observation that you look like you would wish for nothing more than to see my absence from this office. I did not insinuate anything about me completely evanescing from your sight, which could only mean that you actually do not want to see hide nor tail of me," Her voice had become colder.

Flustered - but skillfully masking it - Gaara hastened to answer her. "Oh, no, it's nothing like tha-,"

"It would seem like I have reached the correct conclusion," Gaara forced himself to meet her eyes, now steely with the cold look she reserved for times when she got angry. "As I am obliged to respect certain wishes according to my own accord, I will regard this one. As to the reason for your unprecedented behavior and lack of professionalism this morning, it escapes me. Good day,"

Gaara's heart sank into the pits of his stomach.

Kohaku then turned around and left, closing the door the same way she did when she came in. At least she wasn't one to have diva fits.

Gaara groaned softly to himself, berating himself for actually trying to see a silver lining in the situation. What was wrong with him? Why did he have to go and slip up like that? He should've been more careful - Kohaku was more astute than most people; she could easily read into the situation without having to go into the drama.

"Stupid. Teenage. Hormones." Gaara growled to no one in particular.

xxxxx

Why had Gaara been acting like a petulant child, Kohaku saw no need to find out. Truly, she had been miffed and slightly offended when she had worked it out that Gaara was less than cordial about having to see her. In fact, he had been rather obvious, with his bad acting. Did the boy see no need to act professional as the Kazekage that stood to be the glorious example of all those of his village?

Apparently so.

"Kohaku? What are you doing here? I thought you went to see Gaara about something,"

Looking up from yet another volume elicited from the shelves of Kohaku's favorite reading corner, Kakashi stood holding a novel, accompanied with a surprised look garnered from his visible eyebrow.

"Kakashi-nii," Kohaku's facade was calm and unaffected. The jounin did not need to know that the girl was less than delighted with their employer. "I was indeed going to meet the Kazekage-sama, but he had some matters to take care of,"

Like his volatile temper, for instance.

Kakashi passed it off with a shrug, apparently believing the girl's cover story. He proceeded to sit across from Kohaku, peering into her book as he sat down. "Politics again?"

Kohaku nodded stiffly, Kakashi's mild interest in her reading material disturbingly reminded her of a certain redhead. Kakashi let out a low chuckle, scratching his head as he pulled back from the book lying open on the table. "You always did have some strange preferences for books," he let out a melancholy sigh at the memory of his first meeting with Kohaku.

She'd been only eight years old then. Kakashi often saw the auburn-haired girl with the empty expression lingering and loitering around the library, seemingly unable to decide what she wanted to read. He had shrugged it off at first - it was not his place to bother little children. At one point, though, he decided to direct the child to the children's section after he narrowly saved her from picking off a romance novel that were not for her eyes and browsing it.

xxxxx

_"Uh, hey kid. Put that book down - you'll regret reading it. Why don't I bring you to the kid's section?"_

Blank eyes had bored into him unabashedly._ "What would be your purpose and intent on bringing me there?"_ Words that were rarely spoken by eight year old girls sounded strange in her voice.

Kakashi had blinked at that._ "Uh, well-,"_

_"As kind as your offer sounds, it would be gratuitous for you as you would gain nothing out of escorting me to that section, for I have no interest in the selection of books they carry there,"_

Kakashi had to raise an eyebrow at that. Really, what child wouldn't like stories about unicorns and wizards?_ "You don't? So, then what do you like?"_

_"That is none of your concern. Please excuse me,"_ The little girl then walked away, leaving the Copy-Nin speechless.

Damn, he was really curious now.

A few weeks later, after much observation, Kakashi came to take notice of the fact that she lingered by the non-fiction section a lot. Her eyes would still hold the same, vacant expression, as they flickered towards the towering bookshelves but her jaw would be set in a decidedly troubled line.

So, one day, he decided to make another step. _"You want something out of that shelf, kid?" _Kakashi asked, pocketing his novel.

Instead of berating him like she did when he had offered to escort her to the children's section a few weeks earlier, the girl merely pretended to be deaf to his words. So, of course he knew he had hit the jackpot. _"If you want, I could help you get the one you want," _he had offered,_ "But I don't see why you can't use the steps to take it. They're just there for you to use, you know. Free of charge,"_

The titian-headed girl merely responded with a sideways glare, and knowing he wouldn't be getting any answer from her at the moment, Kakashi decided to wave and leave.

When he turned to look, however, he could see the girl standing on top of the steps he had pointed out earlier, reaching for a book with no avail. Clearly, she was way too short. Her eyes were trained on the topmost row, which stood a good two feet above her. She was struggling; her eyes furrowed with concentration as her hand waved wildly in a futile attempt to take the book of her choice.

The silver-haired jounin had seen many silly things in his life, courtesy of his friend, Uchiha Obito (May his soul rest in peace), but this display had yet to be the most ludicrous of all. He chuckled; perhaps a bit too loudly, because the girl stopped immediately and fixed her eyes in a stony glare. _"What, may I ask, is it that you find most scintillating?"_

Kakashi shrugged sheepishly. _"Don't ask me - I have no idea what you mean by scinti-something," he gestured towards the shelf, "Would you like my help in getting the book for you?"_

The girl stared at him for the longest time, probably trying to decide whether or not to agree to his assistance. Her eyes often kept darting back towards the shelf, and back to Kakashi, gauging the situation.

She finally made her decision.

The child nodded in a stately manner; her head was held up high and her back was ramrod straight - definitely not your average kid. Kakashi chuckled as he stepped onto the steps and looked down at her. _"What's the title?"_ he turned back to scan the titles on the shelf.

Blank eyes bore into him once again. _"Division of Jurisdiction in Konohagakure,"_

Kakashi nearly spluttered. He looked down once again._ "Are you sure?"_

_"I am not vocally incapacitated, and I believe I made myself clear. Please take down the copy of Division of Jurisdiction in Konohagakure,"_

As Kakashi located the book and got off the steps, he handed the volume to the girl, who accepted it with nary a trace of emotion. Her short arms struggled to hold the thick, dusty volume, and Kakashi sighed.

_"I don't know what a six-year-old is doing reading stuff like this, but let me hold it for you,"_ He plucked the book out of her arms, _"Now, where do you sit and read?"_

As she silently walked to the table nearby, she climbed into the chair and looked up at Kakashi. Kakashi took this as a cue to place the book on the table for her.

"_Thank you for your assistance," _Her tone was curt, and she flipped open the book. The jounin took this as a sign to retreat. At least she was finally reading.

A few weeks later, Kakashi was reading at a table, when he heard a soft rustle in front of him. Looking away from his book, he saw the girl sitting across from him, absorbed in a new book. His eye spared a glance at the title. _Democracy in the Land of Fire._ He held back his surprise, remembering the volume he had taken off the shelf for her. Nothing new, nothing new.

_"Hello there,"_

Brown eyes regarded him for a brief moment before returning to the pages of the book. Kakashi let out an audible sigh. _"Don't you know it's manners to reply when someone greets you? Didn't your parents ever teach you that?"_

Blank eyes looked up again. _"Good morning, sir,"_ her gaze was cold. Had Kakashi said something wrong?

_"Er, same to you, kid,"_

A brief silence ensued. _"I am not six years old. I am eight," _

And that was the first time Kohaku had ever said something about herself to Kakashi. It would only be a few months later when Kakashi learnt the name of the eccentric child who seemed to have a lot of free time on her hands as she scoured the long-forgotten sections of the library.

xxxxx

"Kakashi-nii? Are you well?"

Kohaku's voice interrupted his reminiscing, and the silver-haired jounin jolted. He looked at Kohaku with surprise. "Ah, yes. I suppose I drifted off for a moment there," he made an embarrassed cough, "Sorry 'bout that,"

"It's no matter," Kohaku allowed the tiniest of smiles before dropping it to resume reading her book. Kakashi looked at the girl fondly before deciding to leave.

"Well, I guess I should get going. Don't wanna impose on you," Kakashi saw Kohaku nod slightly as he left. The girl would always be as emotionless as she always liked to be. There definitely was no changing that.

xxxx

"Wow Gaara. You're in a particularly bitchy mood today," Temari deadpanned as soon as she saw her youngest brother slumped over his desk in exhaustion. He had growled at Temari when she had cheerfully greeted him a few minutes ago, "What's up?"

"Couldn't sleep," the words came out muffled through his arms, "Can't sleep."

The blonde raised an eyebrow as she set her fan against the wall, where it always stood when she was talking to her brother. "Why not? Nightmares?" she scoffed at the prospect of her stoic sibling writhing in fear under the covers of his bed.

"Hardly," there was a sniff of contempt as Gaara's head still refused to look up from his arms, "It's more like I have a terribly vivid imagination,"

Silence met Gaara. That was when he realized he'd said too much.

Utter dread filled up Gaara, his stomach sinking. He knew what he would see if he dared to look up at his sister. He inched his head up slowly, peering out from a tiny crack between his forehead and arm.

Temari had a horribly interested look on her face, coupled with a grin that could rival the Shukaku's.

"Ah. Terribly vivid imagination, eh?" Could her voice get any more taunting and creepily eager? "I see. Who do you see in those 'imaginations' of yours?"

Gaara's neck felt warmer, and it definitely wasn't because of the stiff, upright collar of his coat. He knew he had to look up now, if he was going to salvage what little was left of his dignity. Seafoam met teal, as the siblings' near-identical eyes locked into a solid gaze.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Gaara found it hard to keep the eye contact, with the dubious smirk plastered on his older sister's face.

"Right," Not good. That was the tone Temari used when she was completely unconvinced. "Well, if you feel like sharing, I'm here. Kankuro's also free too, y'know. Although I doubt he'd be as much help as I think I'll be able to provide you with,"

"Your offer sounds kind, but I still remain clueless to your words,"

Of course, Kohaku wasn't the only stubborn one who liked to keep secrets. Gaara was the same too, only he wasn't sure what he was keeping to himself was about.

Really, what did all those strange things happening to him mean?

* * *

Author: And another chapter comes to a close! This one explores the history between our favorite jounin and Kohaku - pretty strange, eh? Gaara starts to notice things about himself that gets affected by Kohaku, but he has nary an idea of what it means!

**FAQ Time!**

**Gaara… sleeps?  
**Of course he does! He's human, just like the rest of the Narutoverse characters are. He was just unable to sleep before that because Shukaku would awaken if he were ever unconscious.

**Secrets. Gaara has 'em?  
**Well, not really. I mean, his private woes are more like imperfect quirks that he prefers keeping to himself. I believe one of them is that he's actually pretty avaricious. (According to me. I can just see Gaara haggling over the price of something at a market.)

**Temari's pretty evil…  
**I always admired the older sister who teases her younger brothers relentlessly and can still manage to be super-kewl. In fact, I plan on making her and Kankuro make more appearances in later chapters.

**Gaara said something about teenage hormones. Doesn't that mean he knows what's going on with himself?  
**On contrary. Whenever I or one of my friends have sudden mood swings, I usually go, "HAHAHA. IT'S JUST THE TEENAGE HORMONES!" Aren't I optimistic?

**Kohaku's reaction to Gaara was rather uncalled for.  
**I know. I wanted it to be that way. To display the amount of raw emotion that is causing the both of them confusion. That's why Kohaku's pretty snappy at him at the most oddest of times.

So, as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Oh, and feel free to make any suggestions too!

Luv,

Pichuzilla


	12. Basic Etiquette

Author: I know I'm late. Again.

It's not my fault, actually. You have to blame the more dominant side of my personality, which is the Geek side.

If anyone here likes Pokemon, you must be well aware of the special events that have happened for the past few weeks.

Australiasia release of B&W was two weeks ago! (I.E. Instead of writing, I was playing Pokemon. I know. I'm a terrible writer.)

Oh yes, and I would've posted this up earlier, but there was this server error that took FOREVER to fix. So it's not completely my fault. I sent billions of emails, and meh. I only found out how to fix the problem by a lucky coincidence when I was reading a fanfiction. Yay!

Anyways, thank you for the feedback last chapter! It helped a lot, and I hope you all continue to give me your altruistic support!

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's more interested in looking at recipes online but did her job anyway!  
_gigglez190  
__LadyAmazon  
__Shifuni  
__GaarasMyBoyzz  
__Coda Lys  
__gaara99  
__JessLuvsWriting  
__tainted-angel21_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the Akatsuki would not be in shambles.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

"Hey, do you want to go make the report with me?"

Naruto hovered by the doorway of one of the empty classrooms in the vast academy building, peering inside. Kohaku sat in one of the rows of tables, since the teacher's desk was unable to accommodate her height. She looked up from clearing up the stationery on the desk.

"No. It would be better for you to just read it to him on your own," Kohaku replied dismissively, crumpling up used paper and tossing them into the wastepaper basket.

Naruto scratched his head, hesitant of his comrade's words. Did she really have no interest in making the weekly report? He was confused; as of lately, the girl had been declining all sorts of invitations to go out for a bit; she mostly spent her time in the academy or at the apartment, and nothing else. She had even checked out a massive pile of books from the library a week before, and thus had been shut up in her room for longer periods of time than before.

Naruto wasn't the most astute when it came to human beings, but he knew something was up. Did something happen to Kohaku?

The blonde stared at the neatly stapled report in his hand, and the dictionary in the other. Naruto hated writing reports, and was glad that Kohaku usually wrote them, and presenting them was the same. Kohaku usually made them, since the blonde couldn't understand majority of the words she wrote in, but now…

xxxxx

"You know, Gaara, I've noticed something," Temari decided to comment, after her usual report about the foreign relations with other villages to Gaara was over.

"What is it, Temari?" Gaara shoved his thumb into the hollow socket of his eye, massaging the spot in an attempt to ease his mental burden. His hatred for politics had just renewed itself again, with Temari telling him about civil altercations among villagers who insisted that there was an unjust raise in the price of salt.

Really, did they have_ nothing _better to do?

The blonde cocked a pale eyebrow, her gloved arms folded across her chest as she shifted slightly against the spot where she anchored herself against her brother's desk. Teal eyes travelled down to give the redhead a cursory glance, and a sly smirk appeared on her face.

Gaara knew what she was going to say was definitely not something pleasant.

"That kid. The new Konoha one. You know her, right?" Temari's grin intensified as Gaara's frown got deeper, "I've noticed that lately, she hasn't been coming to give her usual reports with Naruto. They always come together, right? But the past few weeks, Naruto's been going solo. Got any explanation for that?"

"I do not know what you're talking about," Gaara decided to say, "It's none of my business,"

He could at least implement a lesson that Kohaku had taught him into this. Minding his own business. Yes, that would work in getting Temari to stop asking uncomfortable questions.

"As if," Temari snorted in derision. Of course. It was _Temari_ they were talking about. Gaara's attempt to cut her off was futile. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have that pissy look on your face right now,"

A _what_ look?

Without thinking, Gaara immediately turned to the window behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of his reflection against the darkening backdrop. He only saw a wide-eyed redhead staring back at him. In the reflection, Gaara could see another version of Temari's vast collection of smirks on her face; this one was the one he hated the most.

It was the_ 'I caught you!' _smirk.

Damn her.

"So, something did happen," Temari nodded knowledgeably, "I see. What happened, exactly?"

Looking away from the questioning leer his older sister was presenting him with, Gaara was relieved - and slightly nervous with anticipation - when he heard a knock on the door.

It was time for the usual Naruto-Kohaku duo weekly report.

"Don't hold your breath," came a muffled snicker from Temari as Gaara called for the person to enter.

Naruto stepped inside, bringing along nothing but a book and papers in hand. He shut the door, and started to refer to the book he had as we walked towards Gaara's desk.

Something heavy dropped in Gaara's stomach, and that same dull throbbing began in his chest, as he realized that Naruto was, once again, alone. There was no Kohaku, and it would probably continue to be that way.

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto greeted with his usual carefree grin, "Here's this week's report,"

What had he done wrong again? Oh yes, Gaara had said something by mistake, and Kohaku had taken it the wrong way. Who knew a girl like her would have reacted like that?

Somehow, Gaara felt bad, but he was mostly annoyed. She hadn't even given him a chance to rectify his error. Despite that, though, Gaara had to admit it; he missed the girl a lot.

Her strangely comforting presence; the way she looked straight into his eyes whenever they spoke; her sporadic silences and loquaciousness; the way she had a constant personality, but still managed to be unpredictable…

"Gaara? Gaara? Did you get that?"

Gaara blinked, and he was brought back to his surroundings. Naruto was looking at him with a curious stare, while Temari remained quiet with her knowing smirk.

"I-I think so. What were you talking about again?" Gaara decided to leave his contemplating for later.

Naruto looked unconvinced, but he repeated his report. "So, the progress of the students' chakra control is…," he stared into the dictionary, "…good."

Temari muffled a snicker behind a gloved hand, and Naruto shot her a glare. "It's not my fault I can't understand most of the words in here!" he exclaimed hotly.

Gaara felt a cold chill run down his spine as he saw the roguish gleam in his sister's eyes. _Not_ good.

"Why don't you have your partner read it, then?" Temari suggested, ignoring the hard look her brother was silently shooting her, "I'm pretty sure she understands them. She wrote it, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but Shishi- I mean, Kohaku's busy," Naruto trailed off, a guilty look on his face as he quietly mumbled, "I_ think,"_

His murmurs were not lost neither Temari's nor Gaara's ears, and Temari arched her eyebrows at them, while the dull ache in Gaara's stomach intensified.

So Gaara's suspicions were right. Kohaku was avoiding him.

"Is _that_ so?" Temari's tone was openly mocking, now, "Well, I suppose that's understandable. Gaara _does_ like to work people hard, after all,"

Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion, and Gaara glared at his sister. "You asked her to do some extra work, Gaara?" Naruto asked, his tone was one of bewilderment.

Ignoring the leer Temari was presenting him with, Gaara coughed into his hand. "That's right. Some work concerning the library's archives. She's been interested in the archives, so I give her work to do in exchange for letting her in,"

"_Did_ you now?" Temari decided to ask, her tone taunting Gaara.

"But she's always shut up in her room,"

"Ah, her actual work is going to start tomorrow," Gaara was surprising himself now; since when did he get this fluent in lying in such a bold-faced manner? "She's just been… preparing."

_"Preparing?"_ Naruto echoed; he was obviously wondering what was there to prepare for work that only consisted of documents.

Temari gave Gaara a look of disbelief, while Gaara ignored his sister. "Yeah. Well, good work on your report. I look forward to more progress. You can go now."

"Right," Naruto placed the report on top of Gaara's desk and stepped back. Cerulean eyes flashed the Kazekage with one last look of doubt, before the door shut behind him.

_"Preparing?"_ Temari shook her head, "That had to be one of the the lamest explanations I have ever heard. And that is saying something, because Kankuro comes up with a _lot _of those when I catch him talking to his puppets when he thinks no one's looking,"

"I don't need to hear your input, Temari," Gaara growled, massaging his temples, "Just leave me be,"

"Oh, I'll do that," Temari moved to retrieve her iron fan from its usual spot against the wall, "Just tell me something. You _do _know that Naruto's going to ask Kohaku about what you told him, right? The part where she's going to start some non-existent research in the archives? What are you going to do if Naruto finds out that you lied to him?"

Oh.

Gaara hadn't thought of that.

Temari sighed, shaking her head. When had Gaara become this careless? He was definitely distracted by something, and she needed to fix it if the village was going to have a clear-headed leader. "Face the truth or tell more lies; either way, it's not looking too pretty for you, is it?"

Gaara's fist tightened into a bloodless white; he was close to snapping his table into half with an ill-tempered slam of his fist. Temari noticed this, and said, "You could take this suggestion into consideration, though,"

Gaara's eyes widened in interest at this. "Suggestion?"

"Listen…"

xxxxx

Kohaku's large, owlish eyes were fixated on the tree, straight past Gaara's head. She could not bring herself to look at him.

She had been extremely surprised, despite not showing it, when Gaara had shown up at the apartment's door at six in the morning. Kohaku had to answer it, because the others were still asleep, and common etiquette required Kohaku to finally stop avoiding Gaara and face him.

"May I ask your purpose for being here at six o'clock in the morning?" Kohaku's tone was, as usual, indifferent, but she remained staring past Gaara's head, now looking at the house in the distance, "Do you need to talk to Naruto-kun?"

Gaara caught himself feeling slightly skittish, and mentally slapped himself for it. He was a leader of a prestigious and flourishing village, damn it! He would not be brought down by a few ludicrous feelings that he was unable to fathom.

"No, actually," he noticed the lack of eye contact, and his chest twisted in an unexplainable pain, "I needed to talk to you,"

Kohaku remained silent, her eyes still trained on the landscape behind Gaara. For a surreal, twilight moment, Gaara was tempted to reach out, grab Kohaku's face and force her to look at him, straight in the eyes, like she always did, but he restrained himself. He could not do that; that would just worsen the rift between them.

And not to mention the fact that Kohaku would probably rip his throat out with a kunai, but Gaara wasn't about to go there.

"I kind of told Naruto that you'd be doing some work in the archives today," Gaara wondered what her reaction would be.

Of course. Kohaku was obviously going to use her well-trained ability to feel nothing but emptiness; it was clearly showing in her blank expression. Gaara looked down briefly, composing his turbulent emotions before looking back at her again. "Because he asked for an explanation for your strange behavior. He seems to have gotten the impression that I have something to do with it,"

"Has he now," Kohaku's seeming disinterest was starting to get on Gaara's nerves; it was taking all of his willpower to keep the lock on the turbulence of emotions within him. He hadn't had the courage to face them by himself, and he was definitely not going to let something like that out without understanding it first. Gaara decided to ask the one question he had been afraid to ask.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

xxxxx

Previously, Kohaku had been convinced that Gaara was a spineless, lily-livered peace-lover who liked nothing more than to run away from his mistakes and problems. Clearly, his question was a huge contradiction to her perceptions. As always, Gaara never failed to prove her wrong, even when he was dong it unknowingly.

"I was not eluding you," Kohaku replied, her eyes steering clear away from the seafoam orbs that threatened to expose her, "I was merely following your wish for my staying out of your sight,"

That was what Kohaku had convinced herself with, but a small part of her questioned it. Was she really only doing it because Gaara had wanted it?

"Right," came Gaara's reply. Kohaku's eyes briefly flickered over to Gaara's for a split second - they momentarily gleamed with a kind of emotion that Kohaku was unable to identify.

Silence.

"Do you still have interest in what's inside the archives?"

"Yes, I do,"

"Would you consider going in there to do some reading or something? Because I feel really bad about lying to Naruto,"

xxxxx

Kohaku's grip on the doorframe tightened, something which did not go unnoticed by Gaara's eagle-visioned eyes.

Gaara decided to lift a hand, holding it out. "May I invade your personal space for a moment?"

His question caught Kohaku off-guard; confusing her with the unorthodox question. "What would you gain from that?" Even her voice was slightly shaky from incertitude - it was evident that she was suspicious of what Gaara was asking of her.

"I'll just take that as a yes," Gaara pulled Kohaku's face towards his.

"I'm sorry."

xxxxx

Kohaku lost her composure for a split second; her eyes had widened slightly in surprise. Gaara's hands felt cool against her skin; it was probably because the morning air was still cold from the night before. They felt calloused, too, which was rather surprising considering the fact that Gaara was a well-known long-range fighter. They had been trembling slightly, but it stopped after a few seconds when Gaara had probably made sure that Kohaku wasn't going to kill him.

Her eyes were forced into a locked gaze with Gaara's, and an involuntary shiver went down her back as Gaara said those two words. Various things flooded her mind at once, but only one thought stood out among the others.

_"What is this feeling?"_

Kohaku always stared straight into people's eyes when she was talking to them; that was how she made people know that she was telling the truth, and she was also able to tell the person's mindset by staring into their own eyes. But now, it was completely different. Kohaku wanted to avoid looking into Gaara's eyes, because she was afraid that he would be able to tell what she was thinking, and she didn't want that.

"Why are you apologizing, Kazekage-sama?" Kohaku's voice was steady, but her thoughts were not. Various flashes of her earliest memories plagued her mind, overlapping and conflicting with the ones she had of Sunagakure; of Gaara.

xxxxx

Gaara let go of his grip on Kohaku's head, and now felt sheepish and embarrassed. It had been spur on the moment; he had been acting on instinct alone. Looking into Kohaku's blank eyes, Gaara had been able to discern what she was thinking, but he was confused.

They had been troubled, but defiant, too. And somewhat… scared.

Why was Kohaku scared?

Gaara coughed into his hand. "Sorry about that," he muttered, "That took me by surprise, actually,"

Kohaku blinked once, and took a step backwards. "I, too," she replied, casting a wary look in Gaara's direction, "As I've asked before: Why are you apologizing?"

Gaara raised his brows; did she really have to ask? "Because I offended you, Chibi," he explained, feeling the tension in the air evaporate slowly, "Kazekage or not, I still have to follow basic principles of etiquette,"

Kohaku looked away, making a strangled sound which Gaara knew was her form of a snort of derision. At least she was back to her old self, now. "I would hardly classify that as a proper act of etiquette. That was something only Naruto-kun would do, and he is not familiar with even the word 'etiquette' nor the denotation of it,"

A small smile appeared on Gaara's face. Kohaku wasn't avoiding him any more, that much was evident. "So, do you still want to take up my offer of letting you into the archives?"

* * *

Author: Yay! They're friends again! How was it?

**FAQ Time!**

**They had air-conditioning?  
**Well, they had security cameras and a television during the Chuunin exams. I remember seeing some construction machines. They also use those voice transmitter things during missions. And they also have a cinema. Who's to blame me for thinking they might have air-conditioning?

**Is Konoha a democratic village?  
**When I was talking about Democracy in the Land of Fire, I was talking about the country, not Konoha. And by the title, I was basing the book on the role that democracy has played in the Land of Fire. I'm just making up history - y'know, pretending that they considered democracy once in the past but then decided to put aside the idea.

**Kankuro talks to his puppets?  
**I've lost count on how many times I've read about Kankuro doing that. I thought I might as well push it in here. It's funny (For me).

So, as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Oh, and feel free to make any suggestions too!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla


	13. Don't Stare

Author: Yay! Finally! A chapter right on schedule! I thought I wouldn't be able to post this up, because I'm supposed to be lording over my wild little brothers whilst my parents are out of the country and I have this job because for some reason, I instill more fear in them than MCB can.

Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you who gave so many hits for my previous chapter! Your time given is much appreciated! And second, my addiction to Pokemon is irreversible, so there's not a sliver of hope for me to lay off it. Trust me - my parents have tried many ways to deviate me off the path of a Pokenerd.

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been sick but did her job anyway!  
_Shifuni  
__GaarasMyBoyzz  
__Beccalove94  
__JessLuvsWriting  
__ShioriOokami  
__SilverMistKunoichi_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I'd be sitting in a mansion answering fan mail.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or defeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.

* * *

It sounded like something only a stalker would probably say, but Gaara found it rather interesting to watch Kohaku work her way around the vast floor of the archives. She didn't bat an eye at the way the shelves towered over her, but instead had her jaw set in a distinctly determined line while she started stacking up the chairs found in the archives to get to the upper level of shelves, until Gaara had an administrator in the archives come over with a ladder.

"Chibi. Do you always have to insist on living true to your name?" he had asked, as he gestured over to the ladder leaning against the bookcase that Kohaku was currently attempting to conquer, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were doing it on purpose."

A cold gaze of annoyance stemming from Kohaku's blank expression found its way towards Gaara, as she momentarily stopped her work in stacking up the chairs. "You could have informed me of the availability of the ladder beforehand, Kazekage-sama," she began to disassemble the precariously teetering stack of chairs, "And I do not understand what you are insinuating by living true to my name. The name 'Kohaku' has no significance. It is merely a word to identify me with, and nothing more,"

Gaara guided some sand towards the chairs and helped to bring them down, crumbling the grains from his armor of sand, since he wasn't one to carry around his gourd when he wasn't on active, shinobi duty. "I didn't mean that name," he replied, ignoring the reprimanding stabs that the girl's eyes were shooting him with, "I meant the name 'Chibi',"

Kohaku made a strangled sound - her version of a snort of derision that Gaara had become accustomed to - as she pushed the chairs back to their original places. "That appellation is ludicrous, and it is by no means my name,"

The redhead folded his arms back across his chest again, the sand solidifying against his skin. His eyes rested on Kohaku thoughtfully. "And yet you answer to it," he noted with a slight smile, "And your first name isn't a name with no meaning. I'm sure your parents must have meant to name you after those pr- eyes of yours,"

Gaara nearly bit his tongue when he had narrowly missed saying something he knew was abnormal to mention. He had nearly said that her eyes were pretty.

_Pretty._ Not only did that sound like something only a_ child_ would say, it was definitely not something that someone like _Gaara _would say.

What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so impulsively today? First the chin-grabbing, and now here he was, thinking that Kohaku's blank, near emotionless eyes were pretty.

But then, a part of Gaara's mind grudgingly admitted that her eyes were indeed somewhat captivating. Mostly empty, but for someone who watched her so often, he knew that at times emotion ghosted through them, like a phantom making its way through her hazel eyes. But Gaara didn't agree with hazel, though. It was more accurately represented by the dark hues of liquid, molten amber.

Gaara now wanted to slap himself, or at least bury himself alive in one of his own sand coffins, when he realized that he was thinking about the girl before him in a somewhat unscrupulous manner.

"My parents. Of course." Kohaku's tone was short, making Gaara raise a brow, distracting him from mentally berating his careless thoughts.

The young Kazekage knew that tone all too well. It was the one that people used when they were reminded of something that they didn't want to remember. Was she like him as well in that aspect?

A vague memory of his strict, distant father flashed menacingly in Gaara's mind, then another piece of the past surfaced; this time it was the angelic, smiling face of Yashamaru.

Overwhelming fury and anger started to bubble in the pits of his stomach, but the boy quelled it, clenching his fist tightly.

_Definitely_ not something he wanted to remember.

"Kazekage-sama. I know I am not in a place to question your anomalous habits, but why did you destroy the ladder?"

Kohaku's words attracted Gaara's attention, and he belatedly remembered that he'd been guiding the ladder towards Kohaku with a bit of the sand that hadn't materialized back into place against his skin. Broken splinters lay on the wooden floor, sprinkled with the sand that had been holding the ladder before its unfortunate demise.

Oops.

"Sorry," Gaara looked down, willing the grains of sand on the floor to rise, "I lost control for a second,"

Kohaku did not say a word, but instead threw the redhead with a contemptuous glance before turning around, reaching for the chair she had just returned.

"Don't," Gaara reached out a hand to block her, "Let me help,"

A very slight shift in her eyebrows told Gaara that Kohaku was skeptical of his words, and Gaara sighed. "I'm not going to destroy anything else, I promise," he muttered, cracks lining his face as his whole armor crumbled from his body and swirled in the space before him.

Slowly gesturing with his hand, the whole mound of sand followed his movements, and crept around the base of Kohaku's feet, lifting the girl up towards the topmost shelves. Kohaku's lips pressed into a thin line, a misanthropic expression on her face when she slightly wobbled from the sudden change of height, away from the ground.

"Relax, you're not going to fall," Gaara noted the look on the girl's face with amusement, "I'm heavier than you, so you're not much of a problem to transport,"

Kohaku cast one last look of doubt before reaching for the book she had been vying for, and the sand lowered her down again, reforming against Gaara's body. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Gaara asked, as Kohaku flipped through the book; Gaara could see that satisfaction lit up her eyes as they scanned the pages.

"Thank you for your assistance, Kazekage-sama," Kohaku said quietly, looking up from browsing the book, "I apologize for taking up your time."

Obviously, Kohaku was already expecting the redhead to leave her alone. And even more obvious, was the fact that Gaara was definitely not going to leave Kohaku alone in the archives unattended.

Was it because he distrusted her? That he thought she was going to break open the seals of some of the files and steal the documents?

That would have been the most logical explanation, seeing as Kohaku wasn't a fellow Suna shinobi, despite the fact that Konohagakure and Sunagakure had extremely close ties. Someone as strange as Kohaku could not be completely trusted.

However, what Gaara was worried about was the fact that albeit the fact she was probably a formidable shinobi in her own right, she would probably be targeted by unsavory characters that did administrative work in the archives; ones that hid behind polite, professional masks during the daytime and became complete hooligans when off the clock. She was a complete midget with a powerful aura of repulsion, but that didn't change the fact that she was a girl with nice and pretty eyes tha- _wait._

Did he just really_ think_ that?

Now Gaara wanted to bury himself alive in his sand waterfall and hope that he would die of suffocation instead of shame.

"Kazekage-sama, I hope that you are aware of the fact that ogling is not something I look upon kindly,"

Once again, Kohaku had saved him from killing himself mentally.

Gaara blinked, taking a step backwards from the owlish stare that Kohaku was giving him. "Look who's talking," he scoffed, heat prickling his cheeks as he was reminded of his strange thoughts from before.

It was definitely a good thing that he had his sand armor. He didn't need her to ask about the sudden sunburn on his skin.

"Aha! I found you!" a masculine voice suddenly broke the awkward silence between the two, "Gaara, what're you doing here? I've been looking for you!"

Two differently-coloured pairs of eyes looked askance to see a black-garbed man with an arm wrapped around the large sand gourd balanced against his side.

"Kankuro?" Gaara's gaze fell onto his gourd, "What is it?"

Kankuro's look of irritation was not masked by the violet face paint that marked his face. "You were supposed to meet me and Temari at your office!" he was obviously not intent on masking the annoyance in his voice, either.

"It's _Temari and I,_"

"Never mind that, you're late for the council meeting!"

"Ah, the council meeting," Only then did Gaara remember that he was supposed to be in the conference hall with the village's elders. How could he have forgotten about it?

"Yes, the council meeting. The one where all the old coo- I mean, the _elders_ gather to discuss about the affairs of the village. The one held _every month_ on the _same day_ of the_ first week_," Kankuro obviously had the same sarcasm that both Gaara and Temari were capable of, "The one that you're _late_ for?"

Gaara froze momentarily when he realized his mistake, feeling Kohaku's eyes burning a hole in his back. "You were supposed to bring my _robes_, then," he decided to play it cool, pretending that Kohaku wasn't watching him, "Not my_ gourd. _You're _obviously _not as efficient as Temari. Let's go now. I'm already late as it is,"

Kankuro gaped at his younger brother in disbelief as the Kazekage left, tossing the titian-haired girl a nonchalant, "I'll see you later," before leaving through the door.

The puppeteer then realized that he was the only one left. He fumbled with Gaara's gourd as he hastened to leave. "Hey! Gaara!"

xxxxx

"The sleeves are too long. Are you sure you prepared the ones in my size and not the ones that belonged to our father?"

Gaara held up an arm, inspecting the dangling sleeve of the robe that Temari had given him when they had met up on the way to the conference hall. "No! Those are yours! The same ones you always wear!" Kankuro insisted hotly, still carrying Gaara's gourd, "I got them from your closet! There's no way our father's robes could've gotten in there!"

"Gaara, stop antagonizing Kankuro," Temari said with a dry tone, reaching over for the sleeve and rolling it up her youngest brother's forearm, "These are yours and you know it,"

"I was trying to get back at him," Gaara dismissively raised the other arm for Temari to work on, "Kankuro's a complete blockhead with no sensitivity to speak of,"

Kankuro rubbed the back of his head, struggling with the container of Gaara's sand as they continued down the vast corridor. "What d'you mean?" he asked, confusion on his face changed into one of understanding when he repeated Gaara's words in his head. A smirk appeared on his painted lips. "Did I embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?"

"She is not my girlfriend," Gaara glared at his brother as they made a turn around a corner, "She is a _friend_. Although I don't think she likes being called my friend,"

"She's the one that gave you so much trouble, right?" Temari smirked, seeing the disbelieving look Kankuro was throwing at their brother, "Don't try to deny it, Gaara. You're only going to make us suspect you even more,"

"Imagine, a _girl_ that can make him forget his Kazekage duties and worry about little things!" Kankuro's sardonic tone irked the Kazekage, "I never thought that day would come. I always thought Gaara was going to die old and lonely,"

"At least I'm not going to die young by the hands of my brother," Gaara threatened, eyes moving from Kankuro to the gourd the puppeteer was carrying, "You carrying my gourd only serves to further simplify things for me. I can just say that you decided to commit suicide by controlling my body with your puppetry. I'll probably add in that the reason for your intention on committing suicide is because you broke one of your puppets,"

Kankuro gasped, shooting his brother a pointed look. "You _wouldn't,"_

"Then you don't know me all that well then," Gaara scoffed, as they reached the massive doors of the conference hall, "Why are you still carrying that, by the way?"

The three siblings looked at the gourd in Kankuro's arms. Temari raised a pale eyebrow, resting a gloved hand against her hip as she pulled her fan off her back, angling it against the floor. She drummed her fingers questioningly against the tip of the fan, the other hand raising the conical hat that belonged to her youngest brother.

"I was wondering the same thing too," she handed Gaara his hat, "Why are you carrying that around? You _do_ know that Gaara is attending a meeting with people that are _way_ past the age for battle, so there is hardly a chance of battle taking place, right?"

Kankuro, once again, started gaping in embarrassment. "Stop questioning me! He needs to be prepared for battle at the shortest notice!" Kankuro sputtered petulantly, "You should be_ grateful _that I'm doing this! When Gaara's ambushed and I'm the one with his gourd, he'll be indebted to me for the rest of his life!"

"Right," the two siblings gave their brother a dubious look, making Kankuro proceed to sulking like a querulous child. The effect Kankuro's kabuki face-paint had on his sulk was eldritch - he resembled an unhappy clown.

"Kankuro - stop that. You're going to scare children," came Temari's snide remark.

"Hey!"

"Thank you for escorting me. I'll try to be as quick as possible," Gaara nodded to his sister, before entering the hall and closing the doors behind him. Kankuro and Temari winced slightly when an enraged 'YOU'RE LATE!' could be heard in faint tones.

"Glad_ I'm_ not in there," Kankuro slumped onto the ground, pulling off the scrolls strapped to his back to make his back comfortable against the wall, "Those old coots have become more terrifying once they realized Gaara won't kill them for shouting at him,"

"Yeah, well, that's the way old people are. Putting that aside-," Temari leaned against the wall, standing beside her brother, "-what was Gaara doing with Shishimiya?"

Taken by surprise, Kankuro looked up timidly, only to be met with the predatory grin that often gave him nightmares. He scooted a few inches away from his sister, clutching at his scrolls with extreme paranoia. Having seen that same smile a time too many when he'd forgotten to water her plants when she left on missions without him or Gaara, Kankuro was smart enough to take precautions in order to save himself from Temari's psychotic wrath.

Shukaku Gaara was scary, but diabolical Temari was in an _entire_ league of her own.

"I think t-they were talking…" Kankuro trailed off nervously, still greatly affected by the leer Temari was presenting him with, "I think they were arguing about ogling at each other,"

_"Ogling?"_ Kankuro whimpered uncharacteristically when Temari's leer intensified, her grin stretching wider and her brows raising even higher, almost disappearing behind her forehead protector.

"What do you care?"

"Oh, I care. A_ lot_," Temari snickered to herself, making Kankuro shiver anxiously, "Let me tell you a story, Kankuro, since we have some time until Gaara's meeting is adjourned,"

"Story?"

xxxxx

Kohaku stepped out of the library building, the book she had gotten with Gaara's help was in her hands. Truly, she had been surprised when Kankuro had shown up, scolding the Kazekage for his forgetting about some appointment that Kohaku had not bothered to commit to memory.

Gaara had been acting somewhat strange today, Kohaku noted as her eyes landed on the book. He had been spacing out a lot, which was peculiar, even for the lily-livered Kazekage that Kohaku was vaguely familiar with.

A distant screech attracted Kohaku's attention, and she looked up from her book with mild interest. A magnificent hawk with a menacing gleam in its eyes and bronze feathers that shone with a polished gleam soared in the air above her, obviously flying in the direction of the aviary. Bells of recognition started ringing in her head, when she realized the hawk was a Konohagakure messenger.

"Master…"

* * *

Author: And so, Kankuro is finally making his next appearance! I can promise you that more is on the way!

**FAQ Time!**

**Whiny Kankuro! That's really weird.  
**Is it? Is it really? I find Kankuro to be the most comedic of the three siblings. Have you watched the filler episode, Episode 182 of the Naruto: Shippuuden series?

**Why does Kankuro keep dragging Gaara's gourd around?  
**Kankuro and Temari both do it a lot during the Kage Summit meeting, since weapons aren't allowed in the meeting room. I found it funny how Gaara left the room and Kankuro had to run after him with his gourd in tow.

**Why did Kohaku call the hawk her master?  
**Because… of reasons that will be explained soon.

So, as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla


	14. Sai

Author: First things, first, I'd like to thank everyone who alerted, reviewed and added this story to their favorites list! Dattebayo Japan indeed! I do hope the country's people are fine after that nasty aftershock.

I'm rather pleased with the way this chapter turned out, because the storyline is finally picking up! And I'm also mighty proud of the fact that I managed to finish it within the self-set deadline, since my parents just returned from my dad's hometown and brought home lovely pressies! (Yay for N3DS! I can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 3D to come out now.)

Moving on!

I've just recently re-published another of my Naruto fanfictions, so if you're interested in a KibaxOC fic, I hope you'll give some of your time to read Secrets of the Cat!

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been busy playing with her hair thingies but still did her job anyway!  
_LuciansLycanNightShade  
__Shifuni  
__JessLuvsWriting  
gaara99  
__GaarasMyBoyzz_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I'd seriously explore Shino's backstory. Don't you think it's strange that his hasn't been explored?

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or defeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU (Alternate Universe). Thought you should know.

* * *

Kankuro raised an eyebrow, though the expression wasn't clearly visible behind the purple lines of paint on his skin. "I gotta say, that's a sight more interesting than annoying you about Nara,"

"What business I have with Shikamaru is none of your business," Temari snapped, glaring at her brother. Kankuro always seemed to make a jibe about the Konohagakure tactician whenever he had a chance; it was the only thing that the puppeteer wasn't afraid to make fun of Temari about. Of course, that didn't mean Temari's punishments were any less scary.

"Shikamaru? Since when did you get on such friendly, familiar terms with him, Temari?" Kankuro grinned slyly, the kabuki paint enhancing the eldritch aura of his smug smile, "Did Shika-chan tell you to call him that?"

Temari menacingly lifted her fan off the ground, letting it tilt slightly open. As the first purple star was revealed, teal eyes glinted maliciously as another glare was directed to the master puppeteer. "Don't make me hit you, Kankuro,"

"Please don't, Temari. I'd prefer to have my head destroyed by other means," Kankuro eyed the weapon warily; a corner of his painted mouth twitched in disgust.

The ambassador merely narrowed her eyes at her brother's words. "If not my fan, then my weasel. I have Kamatari at the ready, for your information. Just a quick summon away. And you of all people should know that he's more than capable of slicing off your head. Who knows, we might be merciful enough to not rip your precious made-up face to shreds."

"It's not make-up! It's ceremonial paint used by masters of the sacred art of the theatre!" Kankuro corrected hotly, before adding with a low mutter, "I honestly prefer having the bloodthirsty Shukaku Gaara to you,"

A forced cough distracted the siblings from their banter. The youngest of them stood there, sleeves of his ceremonial robes dangling by his sides, having come undone during the meeting. Gaara was gazing at his older siblings with clinical interest, coupled with a hint of annoyance; it was probably because Kankuro had mentioned his name in his absence.

"Sometimes, I think I'm the oldest one in the family," Gaara stated dryly in his detached tone of indifference, as Kankuro got onto his feet, strapping his scrolls onto his back. "Get my gourd, will you?"

"What am I, your slave?" Kankuro did as his brother asked anyway, as he pulled on his summoning scrolls before grabbing the massive sand gourd, tucking it securely under his arm.

"You think wrong," Temari replied in response to Gaara's question, folding her fan and hoisting it over her back, "So, how was the meeting?"

Gaara wrinkled his nose in slight distaste at the mention of the council gathering as he began to walk. "Same as usual - talks about the menial riots in the village, which somehow always end up being a long reminisce of the days long past."

"Senile old coots," Kankuro jeered, falling behind his siblings, "Why can't any of them be as cool as Chiyo-sama was? At least she had a sense of humour, as twisted as it was."

"That's because you're biased, Kankuro," Temari scoffed, as the three made their way out of the building, "And watch what you're saying - you may be head of the new puppet brigade, the Kazekage's brother and one of his bodyguards, but that doesn't mean you can diss them like that,"

"Speak for yourself," Kankuro muttered under his breath, pushing open the doors with his free hand and stepping outside.

The place was rather empty, probably because they were in an area where most of the political offices were placed, far from the commercial lanes. The spherical structure of the Kazekage mansion was far in the central area of Sunagakure; only a small silhouette could be seen from where they stood. A loud screech attracted their attention; the three of them looked up.

"That bird looks out of place. It doesn't look like one of our messengers, either," Kankuro squinted his eyes against the glare of the sun, lifting a hand to point at a fast-moving dot in the sky, "Think it's the reply message from the Godaime Hokage? You sent a message to her, didn't you, Gaara?"

Only when Kankuro had pointed the bird out did Gaara suddenly remember his previous suspicions about Kohaku.

It was difficult to explain, but when Gaara was reminded of it, a strange sensation squeezed painfully in his chest; it was like the familiar dull ache he had felt before, when he and Kohaku had been on bad terms, but it was somehow different.

"Maybe," Gaara shrugged, now intent on getting back to his office building as fast as possible, in order to see the message. He had waited a long time for the reply. His hand snaked up to his chest; his fist clenched over it as his eyes looked down. Why was it hurting again? Was it the apprehension he felt? His mind wandered to the memory of him helping Kohaku in the archives earlier. The pain intensified, making Gaara stagger slightly, faltering in his steps.

"It looks different from Konoha's usual hawks, though," Temari noted, as she led the way to Gaara's workplace, oblivious to Gaara's internal conflict, "I've used some of theirs when I go there. They usually use doves and pigeons."

"Who cares? Maybe it's some new improved breed or something," Kankuro rolled his eyes sardonically. Why did his sister have to be so paranoid about everything? "Just because the bird's different doesn't mean the message will be any different."

xxxx

A man, to be more precise, a teenaged boy, stood in front of the sand fortress that protected Sunagakure from unwanted visitors and prying eyes. A stifling breeze blew, rustling the black locks of straight-cut hair abundant on the boy's head. He lifted a gloved hand, shielding his eyes from the sudden onslaught of sand in the wind, waiting for it to pass before pulling his hand away. He nonchalantly adjusted the bag slung across his back, slightly bumping the tanto he carried on on a sheath on his right shoulder.

Despite having travelled under the scorching sun of the Land of Wind, his skin was pale; a somewhat sickly shade of paper. Too pale, in fact, as it contrasted into an almost perfect monochrome with his black raiment, hair and eyes. There was no expression on his face; only a detached one that showed no emotion as a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his temples; even under the sweltering heat of the hot sun he displayed no emotion.

As he looked up, the silver of his forehead protector glinted under the harsh rays of the sun. The leaf emblem was engraved onto the metal plate. A Konohagakure shinobi.

He started towards the gates, leaving imprints of his sandals on the sand behind him, and the guard on duty gave him a cursory glance as he stopped the shinobi.

"State the purpose of your visit."

"I am under the orders of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama, to join Team Kakashi as the fifth member in its mission,"

"Do you have any proof?"

A gloved hand reached into the backpack, pulling out a slip of paper that served as his passport. The guard peered at it, comparing the picture with the boy's appearance, taking note of the authenticity of the document before stamping it with a red seal of approval.

"Welcome to Sunagakure, Sai."

xxxx

With his back hunched over and facing the daily crowd of the sandy streets, Naruto wore a troubled expression, blonde brows furrowed in deep concentration. He scratched his chin; a sign of indecisiveness as he studied the polyester cups sitting in neatly stacked rows. A young woman standing by him had a half-smile on her tanned face; the shopkeeper was evidently amused by the foreigner's serious approach to ramen.

"Which brand is better? Damn, I wish I'd brought more from Konoha when I left. Why doesn't Suna sell the ones I like?" Eyes of cornwall-blue darted back, forth, left and right, taking in the display of ramen cups carefully, "The bigger, but more expensive, one or the one that comes with disposable chopsticks but doesn't taste as nice?"

Naruto continued his internal debate, weighing the pros and cons of the two different brands in his mind critically. The others of his team were somewhere around the street in one of the many shops that lined it; Kakashi had forced everyone, including Kohaku, to go into town to pick up some things. He had declared that they needed to do a bit of sightseeing, for none of them had done any since they first arrived in Suna a few months ago.

"Naruto-kun."

Dismissing the familiar voice with an airy wave of his hand, Naruto remained staring at the cup ramen, only providing a short response of, "Hn?"

"I brought some cup ramen from Konoha."

Perking up, Naruto turned around, coming face to face with a smiling Sai. Shocked by the sudden appearance of his teammate, Naruto did what he could only think of at the moment.

He shrieked.

"Eeeeeeeee!"

xxxx

Kakashi looked up from the pocket novel he had been browsing in front of a bookstore at the faint sound that sounded very much like Naruto. Kohaku pulled her gaze away from the posters that were announcing releases of new books tacked onto the wall, looking up to regard the jounin. "Kakashi-nii, I believe that was the sound of Naruto-kun's voice. It sounded very distressed."

Kakashi quirked a silver eyebrow. "Did it, now? All screams sound the same to you, though, don't they?"

Kohaku frowned, though it was barely noticeable. "All the same, it would be wise if you just went to check, just in case."

"Ah, so you care," the teasing tone in the ex-ANBU's voice caused the frown on Kohaku's face to deepen by a slight measure. It wasn't everyday someone like Kohaku expressed concern for another; it was a rare sight indeed. Kakashi knew this fact, and wanted to relish it.

"Believe what you want."

xxxx

"Sai! You bastard! What're you doing here?"

An accusing finger was pointed at the still-smiling shinobi; Naruto's eyes flashed with heavy suspicion as they regarded the black-garbed boy standing in front of the blonde.

He then pulled his glare away from Sai, as a flash of silver indicated that Kakashi was there, Kohaku in tow. He had made a point to bring Kohaku where ever he went, since Kohaku hated mingling in large crowds and thus would've gone straight back to the apartment if she was left alone. "I heard your screaming, Naruto. What's wrong?" the jounin then belatedly realized Sai's unexpected presence, "Oh? Sai? What a surprise! I can certainly understand why Naruto reacted like that now."

"Hello, Kakashi-senpai," Sai nodded amiably, another smile plastered onto his pallid face, "Naruto-kun was very engrossed in his decision-making, so I that's why I had to lie in order to get his attention. Was that wrong?"

"I suppose so, but who am I to judge?" A chuckle escaped from Kakashi's concealed mouth, making Naruto glower at his captain's mirth, "So, what brings you to Suna?"

"Tsunade-sama ordered me to come here as back-up. She says more people will probably speed up the completion of the mission," Sai explained, taking a wise step backwards, away from a very irritated and disgruntled Naruto.

"She did, now did she?" Kakashi scratched his masked chin thoughtfully, "I suppose I didn't get the message. Can't blame her, though. The weather's been a mess lately, with all those desert sandstorms occurring. Did you get caught in one on your way here?"

"No. I was lucky enough to arrive unharmed."

"And not sunburnt," A sullen Naruto glared at his dark-haired friend, shooting an accusatory look in his direction. It was true, because everyone on Team Kakashi had gotten a shade darker when they had first arrived in Suna, and until Sakura finally bought them sunblock lotion for their unaccustomed skin, Naruto's face had stung every time a hard breeze blew past him. "Does that mean you completed your solo mission and you're joining Team Kakashi again?"

"Yes. Does that please you, Naruto-kun?"

"Of course not!"

At mention of that, Kakashi remembered the girl standing invisibly beside him. Kohaku was disinterestedly looking away, her eyes staring at a distant object; the jounin sighed, despite not showing it, it was plainly obvious that the auburn-haired girl was itching to get back to the dark confines of her room with a book and a lamp to accompany her. It was a wonder she wasn't as pale as Sai was; she spent most of her time locked up in dark places with her favorite volumes of historical politics. The Copy-Nin gestured towards the apathetic Kohaku. "Sai, meet your replacement, Shishimiya Kohaku,"

"Actually, since Sai is Sasuke's replacement, that makes Kohaku both Sasuke's and Sai's replacement," Naruto corrected with a pretentious air of wisdom, nodding to himself in agreement with his words.

Ebony eyes fell upon the short figure; the emotion in them was indiscernible. Sai's face was set with an unreadable mask of a smile, long having been perfected by many hours of relentless practice, as he regarded Kohaku with a nod. It was hard to tell whether he was genuinely smiling or not. The girl returned the greeting, acknowledging the Root ANBU with a nod of her own with nary an expression on her face.

xxxx

Everything looked the same.

The structures, the colour of the buildings, the clothes the residents wore… Gaara took comfort in this; albeit the fact it got boring five seconds after the first look, Sunagakure's bland layout could not be any more safer. If an intruder foreign to the labyrinth of Sunagakure ever infiltrated the village, he would most likely get lost instead of finding his target. Of course, only the well-practiced eye of a Sunagakure villager or someone who visited the village very frequently would be able to discern which building was which, and which lane was situated where.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara, looking out the window of his domed office as he stood with his arms crossed, turned his head slightly with a pensive expression written all over his face. He had been staring at the cloudless sky, contemplating on what Tsunade's answer would be, until he decided to stop. Most of his scenarios consisted of good news; Gaara hated himself for being overly optimistic. So, instead, he had turned his thoughts onto his beloved village, studying the various expressions of the people going about their daily routines beneath the rounded globe that was the Kazekage mansion.

One of his subordinates, dressed in the standard attire for a Suna shinobi, was panting heavily at the open doorway, gasping to catch his breath. The sand veil that he wore around his head was askew, and the sole strap of the one-strapped Suna vest slipped down his shoulder. It was obvious that he had been in a hurry to get to the office.

"What is it?"

He lifted one of his hands; his fingers were wrapped tightly around a scroll. That meant he had been the sentry on duty at the aviary. "It has the seal of the Hokage of Konohagakure, Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara held out a hand, and the scroll was deposited onto his palm. Pulling it back, Gaara saw that the shinobi had been right. Right where the strings had been tied, in the melted red of sealing wax, was an imprint of the kanji for 'Fire' set against the background of the Konohagakure emblem.

It was the unmistakable seal of the Hokage, used only for important, top-secret messages.

Even if the seal had not been used, Gaara would have still known that it was important, because of the telltale red of the scroll's paper. His eyes narrowed slightly; he didn't want to openly show his concern in front of the shaky shinobi. The village did not need to be thrown into a panic just because a red message-scroll had come bearing the seal of the Hokage.

"You may leave. Please call for Temari and Kankuro to come here as soon as possible," Gaara murmured, tugging at the strings that fastened the scroll, breaking off the sealing wax.

The shinobi nodded skittishly, scrambling towards the door before a quiet, "Wait," from Gaara stopped him.

"D-do you need something else, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara shook his head, before smiling one of his rare half-smiles. "Don't worry, Korobi."

The harried expression on the shinobi's face dissipated; a reluctant smile formed on his face. As terse as Gaara's words were, they had a firm kindness that had a profound effect on the sentry. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama," he bowed deeply, gratitude emanating from him. Reassured by his powerful leader, Korobi finally left the room, this time with a more professional manner.

Gaara slowly let his smile drop; it was replaced with a grim expression. His seafoam eyes fell upon the characters carefully brushed with measured strokes against the parchment, but some lines were wobbly; it was like Tsunade had had a difficult time writing up the message. His irises darted up and down as he processed what Tsunade had written.

He felt his stomach sink.

xxxx

"What happened, Gaara? We came as soon as you summoned us,"

Temari and Kankuro had arrived; with Kankuro bursting through the door, very much reminiscent of Konoha's orange blur, while Temari had strolled in with a more refined dignity. Despite that, the worry and concern on their faces were the same.

After dropping Gaara off at the Kazekage mansion, the two bodyguards that gone on to do their usual activities. Temari had been taking a break at her favorite tea shop, blissfully snacking on chestnuts when a chuunin had come running towards her, half-shouting something about Gaara and a scroll. The concerned ambassador had then followed the messenger to the puppetry shop that Kankuro frequented. They had found Kankuro cooing over some new parts, and without a word, Temari flung some money onto the counter, shoved the parts into a paper bag and dragged the bewildered puppeteer towards the direction of the Kazekage mansion.

"What's wrong? The guy you sent to call us was in a tizzy," Temari was quick to get to the point, as Kankuro flung his scrolls onto the sofa, along with his purchases, pulling off his hat before standing in front of the desk with his sister.

"Something happened?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow; Temari hadn't told him anything except for the fact that Gaara had summoned them.

Temari's expression hardened; her blonde eyebrows knitted together in concern when she saw the way Gaara was standing. Instead of the normally dignified and proud way Gaara carried himself, his shoulders were slumped; his head hung slightly. Instead of a Kazekage descended from noble ancestry, Gaara's posture reminded Temari of the helpless teenage boy that Gaara rarely was.

Gaara wordlessly pointed to the scroll lying unfurled on his desk. With wary looks at the sight of Gaara's unreadable expression, the two older siblings' gazes fell to the contents of the scroll.

**'Gaara, I am afraid that the omission of Shishimiya Kohaku's mission history is not a clerical error. The absence of such information is because such information is not allowed to be imparted. The reason for this-'**

Reading the next line, Temari looked up, expression grim, while Kankuro cursed loudly and ran a gloved hand through his spiky head of hair, slightly overwhelmed. The reason for Gaara's helplessness was irrefutable.

"I thought she was strange, but this explains it all," Kankuro muttered through his hand as he rubbed his face, smudging the ceremonial paint on his face with the force that Kankuro was exerting through his hand. One could tell that the jounin was under some sort of strain; it was a difficult feat to blemish the paint Kankuro used by just mere rubbing.

"I agree," Temari's frown softened with sympathy when she studied her youngest brother's blank expression. The concerned sister inside the hard kunoichi was worried about her youngest brother - he had not said a word since they arrived.

Gaara seemed to be in shock. He stared at nothing; his gaze unfocused. His mouth was slightly parted; probably in disbelief.

**'-is because Shishimiya Kohaku is a member of Root.'**

* * *

Author: Sai makes an appearance! I loved bringing Sai in - he's such an awesome character. He has an equally awesome theme song in the second Shippuuden movie. As does Shino! …Okay, I digress. But seriously have you listened to either? Sai's is Choju Giga and Shino's is Destruction. YOU MUST LISTEN TO THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF THEIR AWESOMENESS! (Note the excessive use of the word 'awesome' here.)

**FAQ Time!**

**Is Kankuro really the head of the new puppet brigade?  
**(SPOILER AHEAD). Well, there was one in the series where Chiyo and Sasori were said to be part of it. I'm assuming that it was disbanded or something, and that Kankuro revived it because of his undying love for the art of puppetry.

**Who's Kamatari?**  
Kamatari is the one-eyed awesomeness that Temari summoned during the Chuunin exams in the original Naruto.

**Does the Hokage seal exist?  
**In this story, it does. However, I do not think it does in the actual series.

**What's wrong with Gaara?**  
Well, I won't go into detail with this, but I'll just say that he feels overwhelmed.

**So Kohaku's a member of Root, is she?**  
Before you jump to conclusions, I'll make this very clear: Yes, she is, but she's not going to be all-powerful and unbeatable. More things will be further elaborated in the chapters to come. Though, I wouldn't say I didn't see this coming. I think some (If not all) of you think the same, as well. I dropped about a gazillion hints throughout the course of the story.

So, as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla


	15. Meanings

Author: Introducing the fifteenth installment of Lion in the Desert! Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts for the previous chapter! I'm particularly glad that the fact that Kohaku turned out to be a member of the Root was well-received.

**YellowMittens **said that I'm a talented stranger, but I'm really just a stranger who happened to be hit with a plot bunny that people (thankfully and hopefully!) like! But thank you all the same; it's rare for me to hear something like that.

_Special thanks to:  
__MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been busy but still did her job anyway!  
_Shifuni  
__sync94  
__YellowMittens  
__ImaginarySuicide  
__Anonymous  
__IcyBreeze7  
__Lonetear  
__JessLuvsWriting_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: Naw. If I owned Naruto, why would I be on fanfiction?

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or defeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU (Alternate Universe). Thought you should know.

* * *

_Flick. _Silence. _Flick. _Silence._ Flick._ Silence.

The weak, dim light of the streetlamp flickered idly, blurring over the poorly-lit pages of the open book. The shadow of the building that the light of the half-moon cast over the bench did nothing except darken the pages even more. Kohaku's eyes, however, did not stop moving, as they continued to read and digest the information written meticulously on the rice-paper pages of the book before flicking to the next page. Occasionally, the tips of her fingers rubbed against the worn cloth-bound cardboard of the book's cover, as if she were trying to reassure herself.

"Ninpou: Choju Giga!"

It all happened very quickly. One moment, the girl had jolted at the sudden sound of the familiar incantation and the next, she'd dodged rolled off the bench, narrowly missing the swipe of a painted beast's massive paw.

Kohaku's normally blank, expressionless eyes were slightly narrowed, as she looked from the splattered remains of ninja ink and towards the roof of the building that had been looming behind her. Only slivers of paper-white skin could be seen in the weak light of the moon, but a pair of equally expressionless eyes stared back.

"Sai-senpai," Kohaku's tone was formal; restrained. "May I ask for your vindication for surreptitiously ambushing me?"

Sai looked down; not a trace of emotion was on his face. Yes, he smiled in the presence of the others in Team Kakashi, but it was different with this one. He didn't know her well, since they were in different sub-factions; they had only met a few times during joint training exercises, but their connection was unmistakable.

She was like_ him._

One of _them._

One of the Root.

"Danzou-sama was rather concerned about the way you were taking such a long time to complete the first phase of your mission," Sai's tone was hard to discern. It was like he was mocking and warning her at the same time. "You know what he's fearful of when it comes to you. You know why he assigned you to this mission. You mustn't fail, Kohaku."

Despite the use of her first name and the lack of an honorific, it was clear that there was no amity in their relationship. Kohaku lifted her eyes to boldly meet Sai's, as she always did when she was talking to anyone. "I am well aware of the reason as to why Danzou-sama delegated me to this mission," she spoke in subtly acerbic tones, but her face betrayed no emotion, "I am also mindful of his doubts about me. However, that does not expound your reasons for ambuscading me,"

Sai lowered his eyelids at Kohaku's frosty tones. He had learnt plenty of things from his time with Team Kakashi, and that included reading body language. Granted, he was not a master, and he had been wrong on more occasions than he'd been right, but Kohaku's body language was no brain teaser. "I was testing you to see if you are strong, since we're going to be working on the same team together. I can't have weak people getting in the way," he explained coolly, "You should have noticed my presence sooner. Your senses have dulled, from the last time we sparred, I see."

A slight frown appeared on Kohaku's face, but it was quickly masked with another expression of indifference. "While it is true that I still have much to ameliorate on in regards to my fighting competence, and it will be quite some time before I will be able to transcend you, I remain doubtful of your saying that I have weakened."

Without even another warning, Sai's hand automatically lifted itself and deftly drew the brush over the scroll spread out on his other hand, quickly painting over the paper. "Ninpou: Choju Giga!" a flock of aquiline birds were released, screeching with intense ferocity that Kohaku remained steely to.

The inked beasts soared and drop-dived in front of Kohaku, who had her hand reaching for the weapons pouch around her waist. They launched themselves towards her, propelling at a breakneck speed, but missed and splattered into the wall of an opposite building as Kohaku sprang out of the way. A loud roar reverberated behind her, but she was a split second too late; a massive paw struck a powerful blow into her chest, sending her flying across the street. The impact of her body left an ugly depression on the sturdy building.

Sai seized the chance; another massive lion pounced onto a dazed Kohaku sprawled onto the ground. It sank its jaws into Kohaku's arm, drawing out a large amount of blood. Kohaku scowled the slightest of scowls at the sight of the blood spilling out of her arm. An imitation beast, but still, all the same, a beast. She drew out a kunai and viciously stabbed at the ink painting, destroying it.

"As compulsive as before, Kohaku," Sai commented dryly, as he watched rivulets of ink stippling the ground, "You're still weak in dealing with long-range attacks and ambushes, I see,"

A very clear memory of her last sparring session with the ebony-haired boy came to Kohaku's mind. He had had his ink snakes burrow underground prior to the battle; she'd been completely caught in the trap, rendering herself vulnerable to the onslaught of small birds hammering into her.

Her eyes narrowed by another slight measure.

Getting up, she wiped the blood away and flung the kunai at another advancing lion quickly, jumping out of the way. A flock of angry birds came fluttering towards her. Her hands wove seals quickly; too quick for an untrained eye to see. "Raiton: Shishi no tsume!"

The disconcerting sound of electricity crackled in the air; the crackling chakra took shape like that of a lion's paw over her hands, the claws curved and menacing. The girl swiped the onslaught of attackers, piercing into them and eradicating them with a single blow of her electric-charged hands.

Sai surveyed the scene with clinical interest, his eyes landing on the blue glow of Kohaku's chakra-cloaked hands. "I can tell that you've improved in some other areas," his tone was slightly begrudging, "Your chakra manipulation looks better."

Indeed, the last time Kohaku had used her _shishi no tsume_, the shape had been ambiguous. If it weren't for his rigid training to shed himself of all emotions, Sai would've probably laughed his way to defeating the girl. It had looked more like a demented hedgehog constantly changing shape instead of a proper lion's paw.

Kohaku still had her guard up. She regarded the boy with a sliver of distrust in her eyes. Sai noticed this, the expression on his face still remote. "It's always easy to beat you, you know. It always has been the case with your lot. Always impulsively rushing into battle, letting the blood pound in your head…"

Kohaku let her hands go slack, but the chakra remained. "What point are you trying to make, Sai-senpai?" the scowl had disappeared; the misanthropic expression morphed into a perfect mask of indifference. She had a mien perfectly matched to the black-garbed ANBU shinobi's own one.

"Nothing. I was just stating facts," was Sai's cold reply as he rolled up the scroll, slotting back the inkwell and brush into the reel, "Just think of my presence and arrival as a warning and reminder from Danzou-sama."

And he slipped into the shadows of the night, leaving a perplexed Kohaku wondering underneath her frozen mask, doubts springing up in the form of a distinctly crimson-coloured head.

Kohaku blinked, shaking her head once to clear it of its thoughts. The glow of chakra coating her hands dissipated, leaving Kohaku free to retrieve a scroll; she'd hidden the book from earlier in it. She'd hidden the scroll in a surreptitiously dug hole when Sai had sent her flying into the wall. There was _no_ way she would've let a precious antique get destroyed in a fight that didn't even make sense to her.

_"Just think of my presence and arrival as a warning and reminder from Danzou-sama."_

xxxx

Kakashi rapped on the door twice, eye still glued onto the book in his hand, before a quiet, 'Come in.' beckoned the jounin into the room. The jovial man was taken aback by the identical grim expressions on all of the siblings' faces as soon as he set his eyes on them. Gaara was seated behind his desk, fingers bridged together in front of his face, hiding half of his face. Temari and Kankuro were standing side by side, having turned their heads when Kakashi had entered.

"Er… you called?" Kakashi surreptitiously shoved the green-covered pocket novel into his weapons pouch. Clearly, this was not the situation to be engrossed with his Icha Icha Paradise novel.

Temari cast a furtive glance in her youngest brother's direction. Kakashi took note of the way her blonde eyebrows were knitted in a worried line and then noted the tense hold in Kankuro's shoulders and finally, Gaara.

The powerful Fifth Kazekage looked nothing like what he was supposed to be. Instead of powerful, confident and stoic, Kakashi could not believe himself after he had determined the expression in Gaara's eyes. His face bore no emotion as always, but his eyes were full of doubt, insecurity, and was that - deargoodness -_ anguish?_

Kakashi fervently hoped that the siblings were just practicing their grim expressions for future use.

Gaara nodded to his siblings stiffly, and they relented. Kankuro patted Gaara's back, squeezing his brother's shoulder before walking past Kakashi and out of the door. Temari was more subtle; she cast worried glances as she looked askance at her youngest brother whilst retrieving her iron fan before leaving the room.

"Kakashi, thank you for coming at such short notice at this time of the night," Gaara spoke when they were finally alone; his tones were mostly steady, but Kakashi's well-trained ears could detect the hesitation in them. "I know it's your day off today, but this couldn't possibly wait any longer,"

Quickly, his brain jumped into action. Gaara was acting strange; he looked exactly like Naruto when Sasuke had first defected from Konoha. Who did Kakashi know could have possibly caused him to be like this? His brain went into a trial-and-error frenzy.

Naruto? Nah, Naruto hadn't done anything remarkably stupid for a while now.

Sakura? Gaara didn't know her very well, so no.

Sai? Definitely no.

It definitely wasn't either of the siblings - they were here too.

Himself? Impossible - Kakashi did not make stupid mistakes. Much.

Who else? Who else did Kakashi know could have affected Gaara by this much?

He thought back onto the people he'd seen around Gaara's presence; that genin girl that the most of the Konoha Eleven had gone to aid in rescuing surfaced, but Kakashi knew enough to discard her as a potential candidate. Gaara was just not that kind of person. The council elders came to mind, but Kakashi knew Gaara always listened to their opinions but never considered them. The jounin that had trained the siblings, Baki, also briefly surfaced, but Kakashi had seen him on his way here, so that was a dead-end, too.

Then it hit him.

The thought hit him in the form of a short, slight figure with auburn hair and owlish eyes.

"It's Kohaku, isn't it?" the words slipped out before he could contain them.

Kakashi nearly winced visibly when he saw the way Gaara had reacted to the name. His expression had turned into a tortured one for a brief second before the redhead had composed himself.

_Shit._

Gaara coolly met Kakashi's gaze, his jade eyes betraying every bit of emotion he was feeling. Kakashi felt awkward at being subjected to the Kazekage's vulnerable side; it just felt wrong. It made him feel intrusive. "I'm assuming you know of her… situation," the way he had tried to delicately put his words together was tactful, but the strain in his voice was palpable.

_Situation?_ A cold feeling of dread washed over the jounin, making him frown underneath his mask. The brow of his visible eye crinkled in a concerned manner, looking at Gaara sharply.

"You know."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"The Godaime Hokage sent over a reply message telling me that there was no clerical error pertaining to the omission Shishimiya's mission records," was all the explanation Kakashi needed to hear for confirmation.

The pained look in Gaara's eyes never left, but he lifted his head, holding it up high as he spoke. "I need you to be clear and honest with me, Kakashi," His voice was regaining its usual timbre of quiet confidence; the one that seemed more like something inherited from noble ancestry, "Is there a hidden motive behind Shishimiya's placement on this mission? If so, do you know about anything? If you do, please tell me anything that may directly or indirectly involve Sunagakure,"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid that anything that has to do with Root remains a mystery to me. Not even Tsunade-sama knows what goes on. Up until recently, we were all led to believe that Root had been disbanded. You would have to speak to their supreme leader, Danzou, if you want to know details, but I don't think he would willingly part with any bit of information."

"That's what I thought," Gaara suppressed a wobbly sigh, "Thank you for your time, Kakashi. I will let you know if we will choose to take action."

Kakashi nodded reluctantly, stepping away before turning for the door. He paused as he turned the knob, looking over his shoulder. "Gaara, you know we're here to help you," was what he had meant to say, but the Kazekage had already rested his forehead against the desk's surface. Kakashi grimaced slightly at the vulnerability Gaara was so openly displaying.

Kakashi liked his privacy, so he respected other people's wishes as well. Choosing to not speak, he quickly slipped out of the room with much discretion.

xxxx

Gaara sat up, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumbs, eyes falling onto the scroll lying open beside him. The words glared up at him, taunting him. His eyes reread the next lines of text Tsunade had written after the section about Kohaku's affiliation with the Root ANBU.

**'Gaara, I'm sorry about my powerlessness and inability to help you by giving you information on things related to the Root ANBU. I, too, remain ignorant to what that man Danzou is planning, and even I as the Hokage of Konohagakure have to tread carefully around him. I objected to assigning Shishimiya Kohaku to the mission, but the elders removed Sai and put Kohaku in instead. It's shameful, but all I can do is provide you with is a warning to keep watch on Shishimiya Kohaku, and if worst comes to worst, I will provide help in any possible way, should the Root begin to act. I have sent Sai as back-up for the mission, but I advise you to also give him the same benefit of doubt as Shishimiya Kohaku.'**

Gaara wanted to think that it had been all a big joke. The warning from Tsunade, Kohaku's involvement with the Root ANBU… He almost wished that he had never asked Tsunade about the presumed clerical error at all. How could she, a short, queer eccentric be a part of the suspicious organization, Root?

It was almost laughably ludicrous.

Her acting had been a stellar performance; she'd shown no signs like Sai had, what with his telltale tanto and his strange raiment. Her persona betrayed nothing about her loyalty to Root, maybe except the antisocial personality.

By now, Gaara was already familiar with the dull ache in his chest, only it hurt more now. The pain was twisted; convoluted. It didn't go away. Was it the bitter feeling of betrayal?

Gaara decided to go for a walk, standing up from his chair. He definitely needed some of the fresh, bitterly cold air of the Suna desert night to placate his emotions and thoughts.

xxxx

As he quietly meandered down the desolate street, Gaara was trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts in his mind. A chilly breeze blew at his back, but he felt none of it despite the lack of sand armor, for he was too preoccupied in trying to rationalize his mindset. The silhouette of the Kazekage would've been a strange sight to see at night; what with the flapping tails of his crimson coat and the large, bulky shape of his gourd.

"What is she to me?" he asked himself softly, head bent down as he tended to do when he was thinking, "She meant something to me, but I don't know in what way. Does she still mean something to me?"

Good question. Did she?

He thought back on whatever sliver of memory he could recall with Kohaku in it. A clear image of an indignant Kohaku surfaced; it was when she'd been at the library earlier that day, and she had been unable to get the book she wanted. The Kazekage had offered his help, and much to her chagrin, he assisted her anyway, despite not wanting to accept his offer of assistance. Instinctively, the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a fond half-smile, before Gaara realized what he was doing.

His chest twisted again; the pain was worse now.

Before the redhead was able to continue his contemplation though, a familiar smell hit his senses. Long ago, he would've felt the faintest of stirrings of bloodlust at the smell, but now it just caught his attention and worry. And now, he could sense signatures of chakra, unfamiliar ones. Was there a fight going on?

Gaara walked faster; almost running.

He could hear the loud sound of something breaking; he started running.

The cacophony of what sounded like viscous liquid splattering on the ground made Gaara's stomach churn slightly. It wasn't because he felt queasy - no, it was because he was afraid that maybe, just maybe, Kohaku had started acting under Danzou's orders.

One of the chakra signatures was unmistakably hers - quiet, reticent, almost in a state of somnolence. She didn't wield or carry her chakra around in plain sight like most shinobi did, she masked it most of the time around company, but when one had watched her from the background for many months as Gaara had done, it wasn't hard to find a rare moment where she didn't hide her chakra.

The metallic smell of the blood drew Gaara to where archaic, abandoned apartment buildings were. Gaara could tell at once that he was at the scene of the fight. There was a telltale fission on the wall of one building, and then gobs of black, murky liquid were on the ground; some of it was dripping down the half-destroyed walls and onto the rubble.

Kohaku's chakra was now a very strong presence. She was close, Gaara could tell. With a mixed sense of bittersweet resent, Gaara's hand instinctively went to clutch at his chest.

It was hurting.

"Kazekage-sama."

The controlled tones, so full of self-assurance and silent dignity that was so familiar to Gaara, made him react in a strange manner, like he always did when it came to her.

He turned around, making sure his features were placid. The mask he wore cracked, though, when his eyes landed on Kohaku. His eyes widened; his mouth parted in shock. "What happened to you?"

Albeit there was not much light to illuminate Kohaku's features completely, there was no mistaking the ugly gash on her arm, as her other hand tried in vain to stop the bleeding. Ribbons of blood trickled down her unfortunate limb, but all the while Kohaku maintained her perfected mien of detached indifference.

For a brief, surreal twilight moment, Gaara swore he had felt some of his old bloodlust return, as a thought of pursuing the person who had injured Kohaku and then punishing him for hurting her had fleetingly crossed the young Kazekage's mind. He blinked his eyes, hard.

Did he really just think that?

"The injury isn't pernicious," Kohaku expounded as she gripped the wound tighter, attempting to cut off blood circulation. Drops of blood slid off her fingers, stippling the ground. "I will survive."

"Like hell I'm going to let you just walk off like that!"

xxxxx

It was very quiet when Gaara struck a match, lighting a candle to illuminate the room. The glow of the flame lit up the place, and shiny surfaces of the kitchen sink and stove gleamed. Kohaku watched Gaara with an unreadable expression. She had been flabbergasted when Gaara had impulsively wrenched his forehead protector off his gourd's leather strap, grabbing her injured arm and bound the cloth around it.

The Kazekage of Sunagakure had used the Sunagakure forehead protector as a bandage for someone who wasn't part of his village. He'd forsaken his pride to help another, and he hadn't even stopped to think about it.

Kohaku's eyes had widened in bewilderment, staring dumbly at the makeshift bandage before looking up at the Kazekage with an inquiring pair of eyes. Gaara avoided her gaze, instead he pulled at her good arm and started dragging her towards the direction of the Kazekage mansion. Now, Gaara was rifling through the cabinets, pulling out a first-aid kit and setting it on a kitchen counter.

"Come here," Gaara spoke softly, careful to avoid Kohaku's scrutiny. When she didn't budge, Gaara pulled her towards the counter, and picked out a dry cloth, wetting it before wiping away the mix of dried and fresh blood on Kohaku's arm.

Silence.

Gaara worked quietly, hands clumsily trying to be as careful as possible with the wound. What had Temari shown him again? Clean the wound, use antiseptic, place wads of cotton and bind it firmly with a gauze; Gaara repeated the steps in his mind as he picked out the gauze. He was foreign to first-aid; he'd never needed any because of his Absolute Defense. All the while, Kohaku remained watching him wordlessly.

Gaara then realized something.

The pain was gone.

The ache, the one that he had felt ever since he had found out that Kohaku was not as she seemed, was gone. Now, all he felt was just a warmth that he could not place a finger on - what was it? As he guided the gauze over the already-cleaned gash, sufficiently packed with cotton to stop any more excess bleeding, wrapping it around her arm neatly, his face felt prickly with an unfamiliar heat. Gaara's hands shook slightly, but he steadied them as he tied a knot.

"Kazekage-sama, you look unwell."

Gaara jolted, quickly pulling his hands away from Kohaku's arm, as if he had been shocked. The warmth crept down to his neck, spreading as he became horribly self-conscious of his surroundings, more specifically Kohaku. She was staring at him, as if she were trying to figure something out. There was a distinctly slight crinkle in between her eyebrows; she seemed to be very focused.

"Why're you looking at me like that, Chibi?"

It was strange. Gaara no longer felt tormented, nor did he feel any of the anguish that had plagued his mind, clouding his judgement. He just felt calm; at peace. (Of course, with the minuscule stabs of what seemed to be nervousness, but Gaara quickly dismissed it.) Even the silence was not an uncomfortable one; he felt completely at ease, standing with her in the weak glow of the candle's flickering flame.

Was this all Kohaku's doing?

He thought he wouldn't trust her after what Tsunade had told him; he had truly believed that he wouldn't look at the girl in the same light ever again. But looking at her now, with her typically unfazed and remote expression, the one that could always shift without one knowing unless you looked hard enough… Gaara would have been skeptical of Tsunade's words, if it had not been for the seal and paper the Hokage had used to in writing her message.

"Why did you help me?" her tone was different now; it was one of perplexity. The young Kazekage's eyes moved away from her face; he didn't want the full brunt of Kohaku's unabashed staring. His gaze landed on the forehead protector she had been holding - the one that belonged to Gaara. The cloth was caked in blood; the metal plate was stippled with smeared droplets of blood.

"Because I-," Gaara stopped short, not knowing what to say. He wanted to say that because he cared for her; that because to him, she was a friend. But the reason made him feel uncomfortable - almost like he felt as if he would have been lying if he had said that. Did she truly mean nothing to him now? Or was what he felt for her something else? If so, what was it?

His eyes remained trained on his forehead protector, grasped within Kohaku's hand.

"You helped me, without even considering the weight of pride staked on this forehead protector," Kohaku was speaking, but from the way she had said her words, it sounded more like she was talking to herself rather than to Gaara. "Even when you knew that I was not a person to be trusted," her grip around the forehead protector tightened, turning her fingers into a bloodless white. "Why?"

"Isn't it natural to help someone when they're in trouble?"

"It isn't for me," Kohaku deadpanned.

His conversation with Temari from some time ago swirled in his mind; snippets of the blonde's words repeated themselves in his mind. He had to act on her words, to discover the meaning behind them. Gaara looked up now, and saw that Kohaku still had a subtly puzzled expression; somewhat contemplative.

What was she thinking about?

Gaara knew the best way to figure out was to look into her eyes. And he did.

But the moment his eyes met hers, Gaara understood what Temari had told him before.

Every, single thing.

xxxxx

_"Well, if you put it that way, letting Chi- Shishimiya into the archives would be a good option - I wouldn't be lying to Naruto and she'd probably be happy," Gaara nodded in appreciation for his sister's ingenuity, "I knew there was a reason why I trusted you to be my diplomatic liaison."_

_"Besides the fact that I'm good at social relations and I rock? Yeah, I guess," Temari hoisted her fan over her shoulder, "Look, Gaara, I know you hate to deal with things of this nature, but you've got to sit down quietly and listen to what I say for once,"_

_Gaara gave his sister a questioning look. "Didn't I just do that?"_

_Temari rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, be sarcastic, why don't you?" She shot her youngest brother a dry look, "I mean, you always run away from things you don't understand. That much is pretty obvious from the way you've always lopped off people's heads before when you were younger, if you didn't understand the situation surrounding you,"_

_"Those words of yours have a double meaning, don't they? I suppose you're heavily insinuating that I must've given you a terrible childhood," Gaara deadpanned._

_"Like crap," Temari confirmed with a grin, "But no, not really. I'm just trying to explain it as clearly as I possibly can,"_

_"I'm not mentally incapacitated, you know," Gaara frowned at his sister's words. Did she really have to treat him like a child?_

_Sometimes, Gaara thought that maybe it would've been better if people still lived in fear of him._

_"You're stubborn, though. You always stuff your fingers in yours ears and start singing whenever I try to make you face your personal baggage,"_

_"And you care because-?"_

_Temari struck the end of her fan against the floor of Gaara's office, making the place tremble slightly; a hard look was on her face. Gaara was already testing her patience. "Sunagakure needs a good leader, and the leader they've chosen is you," Her tone was serious now, "What I'm doing is trying to make sure that the leader they've decided to place their faith in doesn't fail to do his job because of his cowardice for facing things that are strange to him,"_

_"What do you mean by that? I've faced countless of strange things! Like that Akatsuki arsonist-!"_

_"That's not what I mean. It may have been foreign to you, but at the same time, it wasn't. It's because you're grown up fighting, and fighting is as easy as breathing for you. It's easy for anyone who is a shinobi," Temari's eyes locked into a steady gaze with her brother's, intent on making Gaara see sense, "What you're scared of is to come to terms with your feelings. Not the feelings of comradeship, friendship and loyalty. That's the easy stuff. It's the complex ones that are scaring you._

_"I know I wouldn't have said this to you, long ago, but because you're a changed person, I'm telling you this. You're acting like a petulant child, Gaara. You're fifteen, and bound to experience things that are alien to you. It's even more worse, because you've had a twisted childhood and now, you're being treated like an adult. You've completely missed the part where you learn about life through proper experience, like any normal, teenaged shinobi would have."_

_Gaara blinked; he was completely taken aback by his sister's outburst. "Temari, what are you getting at, exactly?"_

_Temari shook her head, pulling her fan back to her side. "Think about it, Gaara. You're smart, so I don't expect you'll have a hard time figuring out what I mean," she started for the door, and paused as she opened it. "You'll only be able to understand what my words mean if you stop running away."_

xxxxx

He finally did it.

He had stopped running away.

All those weeks of denial and pushing things onto a shelf - they were nothing now.

They say that the eyes of a person are the windows to their soul. Gaara hadn't had the faintest clue of what the saying meant before, but now he did. But it wasn't Kohaku's soul that he'd peered into. Her eyes had reflected his own feelings back, making him understand what Temari had been trying to tell him.

Kohaku did mean something to him.

He had feelings for Kohaku.

What feelings were they?

Gaara wasn't sure, but they were definitely not feelings of friendship.

* * *

**FAQ Time!**

**Temari's so… knowledgeable.  
**Well, she's got a 'questionable relationship' with Shikamaru. (As quoted by Gaara in one of the previous chapters)

**You really believe in the 'windows of the soul' thing?  
**Who knows what to believe in anymore these days?

**What's this 'Shishi no Tsume' thing Kohaku used?  
**A technique I came up with. Horribly unoriginal, but y'know, I like to be simple.

**Why's Gaara using his forehead protector to bandage Kohaku's arm such a big deal?  
**Because to a shinobi, the forehead protector is essentially his pride. It signifies the fact that you are a proper shinobi of your own right. So a shinobi, especially when he's a Kage, using his forehead protector on a shinobi from a different village for something as menial as bandaging is a really huge deal.

**Kohaku looks so… unaffected.  
**You'll see.

**Why must Sai be portrayed in such an antagonistic light? I thought you liked him?  
**Every character has a role to play in a story. This is Sai's role.

Author: I had a ridiculously difficult time trying to figure out how to go about this chapter, especially that last bit. Gosh, I really suck at the romance department. But I suppose I'm growing along with Gaara and Kohaku, so I do hope you'll be fairly satisfied with the amount of skill I displayed in this romance thing! Oh, and the battle scene. I enjoyed writing it, and I plan on incorporating more in the future, but I won't hide the fact that I'm rubbish at it. I will strive to better improve myself! So I hope I have your continuous support!

As always, reviews are awesome and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla.


	16. Does She?

Author: Thank you for all the hits, favorites, alerts and reviews, everyone! I love you all!

I know it's been way too long since my last update, and I'm afraid I have terrible news. As of today, my mid-year exams have started. I accidentally inhaled a full blast of ammonia gas during my Chemistry practical paper, and my sinuses still hurt. Sob.

I've been super-busy with revision and such, but since it's a Thursday here, and tomorrow's a Friday - which means no school - I have finally finished writing the sixteenth chapter of Lion in the Desert! My exams span for about three weeks, so I'll have very little to no time for writing - I think I just died a little by writing that - and will, instead, attempt to remember whatever I've learn for the past few years and revise for the upcoming papers.

Anyways, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my favorite character from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! this time, because today's his birthday. I know it's basically retarded to wish a fictional character a happy birthday, but I'm already crazy, so who cares?

_Happy Birthday, Hibari Kyoya!_

_Special thanks to:_  
_MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been busy but still did her job anyway!  
_Shifuni_  
_blaqkpython_  
_SweetxPandemonium_  
_Anonymous_  
_Sama-Bama_  
_jkl_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. If it did, I would make more Hinata scenes instead of Sakura ones.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or defeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU (Alternate Universe). Thought you should know.

* * *

The first thing Kohaku became aware of when she woke up was the bandage wrapped around her forearm. Weak rays of sunlight streamed in through the chinks in the curtained window beside her bed; the auburn-haired kunoichi pulled off the crumpled blankets from her person. She pulled back the golden-coloured sleeve of the sleeping shirt she wore, sitting up as she lifted the injured arm up to inspect it.

A frown appeared in between her eyebrows.

As she stared at the simple first-aid that Gaara had applied to her arm, the apathetic shinobi could not help but be perplexed. She swore that she had felt something strange as Gaara had given her a peculiar look the night before; something that felt like there had been a swarm of angry bees in her stomach. Of course, she had attempted to suppress it, but it had instead grown out of control. Kohaku became acutely aware of the increase in her heartbeat, as well as the sudden reticence she had felt when Gaara had asked her what the matter was.

That was when she had abruptly excused herself from the redheaded Kazekage's presence.

She had then ruminated on the peculiarities during her walk home, and wondered about them in the darkness of her room, until she finally fell asleep. Now that she was awake, she was back to square one.

What, exactly, had occurred during the night before?

_Knock knock knock._

The abrupt sound of someone rapping on the wooden door dissolved all thoughts in Kohaku's mind. There was someone else awake already?

Kohaku got off the bed, the hems of the black pants she wore pooled around her bare feet as she crossed the spartan bedroom to open the door. She only let the door open with a slight crack, peering out with an expressionless eye. A masked Kakashi, minus his forehead protector, stood there in his usual sleeping clothes.

"Kakashi-nii. You're up rather early," Kohaku's eyes automatically trailed to the ANBU tattoo stamped on his left upper arm like they always did when it was visible; it was a glaring reminder that the jovial jounin had once been part of the clandestine legion of masked shinobi.

Kohaku had known this when she had first met him, and when the silver-haired man discovered her allegiance to the Root, she had used the honorific that she referred to Sai with. An enraged Kakashi had then made the girl promise to never refer to him as her senior, but instead something else. The training Danzou had never subjected her to had come to the young girl's mind as the jounin had made his plea, so she settled on him being her brother.

He had discovered her training in a very remote area of one of Konoha's training grounds, where the Root ANBU usually carried out their training exercises. With the absence of a forehead protector, as well as the tanto lying on the ground, the jounin had managed to put two and two together.

xxxx

_"I don't want you to become a second version of the past me, Kohaku. I know you don't have a choice in this, but at least let me share some of the burden you carry. Don't see me as your senior; see me in a different view."_

_"A brother?" _

_"A brother, if you want."_

_"Is Hatake-nii-san agreeable?"_

_"That's a bit too long, don't you think? What about 'Kakashi-nii'?"_

xxxx

"Well, I actually wanted to sleep a bit more, but then I heard the buzzer. There's an early guest looking for you," Kakashi explained as he prodded the door to open wider with a finger, "He's waiting at the door,"

"Who is it?" Kohaku decided to ask as she walked towards the front door; a small, uncontrolled part of her felt a sudden fluttery nervousness at the probability of the visitor being Gaara. Putting on a mask of indifference, the girl then completely squashed the sensation - or so she thought, until she discovered the Kazekage waiting outside, dressed in his usual getup of red and black.

"Chibi," Gaara nodded in greeting. His expression was a strange one; it seemed like he was trying hard to mask what seemed like skittish nervousness, from the way he was fidgeting slightly.

"Kazekage-sama," Kohaku nodded stiffly as she stepped outside the apartment, feeling the chill of the cold floor tiles underneath her bare feet.

"Take your time, you two," Kakashi managed to pass his tone off in an lighthearted lilt, but the troubled Gaara from the night before made him dubious and somewhat worried. He cast one last furtive look in his subordinate's direction as she looked outside the door before returning to his room.

Gaara nodded at the sound of Kakashi's voice, before returning to look at the shorter person before him. Kohaku stared up at him, eyes as blank as always, but the Kazekage could not quell the sudden rush of fondness that he felt as he regarded her crumpled attire with a slight smirk.

A baggy round-neck shirt of glaring gold whose hems reached her knees, with too-long sleeves and black pants that were too long for her legs as well… Kohaku was _definitely _more normal than most people were led to believe. Catching the surreptitious smirk that Gaara was trying to smother behind a pale hand, Kohaku narrowed her eyes slightly in mistrust. "What is it that you find humorous, Kazekage-sama?"

"You look different," Gaara noted, "Cu- I mean, like a child. You should put your hair down more often. You don't look like you carry an aura of repulsion when you look like that,"

Kohaku's hand instantly snaked up to touch her tousled hair; the ends grazed around her shoulders, in an obvious disarray as they were free from the normal messy bun that Kohaku usually chose to wear her hair in. "Keeping my hair in this condition will give root to various problems, Kazekage-sama. And it is not by choice that I look like a child. I am not a child; I am fourteen, coming fifteen."

"Yes, I know that," Gaara raised an eyebrow; Kohaku was behaving somewhat strangely. Usually, she would have brushed off Gaara's unnecessary comments, like the one about her hair and appearance, and would have asked him about his purpose for visiting her quarters.

Kohaku seemed to have realized this, because she pulled her hand down and coolly lifted her eyes to meet Gaara's. The Kazekage could not help but feel a shiver run down his spine, as he recalled the events of the night before as their gazes connected; a strange, heart-rending feeling throbbed in his chest.

"What is your purpose for visiting here so early in the morning? Have you come to ask my assistance in aiding you to make yet another falsification come true?" Kohaku tore her gaze away from Gaara's, lifting an arm in front of her face.

Gaara gave the girl a puzzled look; what was wrong with her? Kohaku's blank eyes remained trained on the ground, her sleeve shielding the lower half of her face.

"What's wrong, Chibi? Do I smell bad or something?" Gaara was somewhat affronted by Kohaku's behavior, but then, if he stopped to consider the person before him, what else was new?

"No. Nothing is wrong," Kohaku's blank expression remained intact, as she spoke from behind her dangling sleeve, though she still wouldn't look into Gaara's eyes. "You may pass this off as one of my few eccentricities,"

Gaara stifled a smirk and a scoff at her words; few eccentricities? 'A billion' would be the correct term to describe the many foibles that the Kazekage knew so well. "Did I do something wrong?" Gaara tilted his head slightly with a questioning look, "You look like you're angry at me or something. Why won't you look at me?"

Truth to be told, there _was_ a reason why the auburn-haired enigma had masked her face and broken the visual contact she had had with the young Kazekage only a few minutes before. It was not because he smelled bad; on contrary, his person carried hints of the sandalwood incense Temari liked to burn early in the mornings when the stuffy Kazekage mansion was being aired while the wind was still and unmoving.

It was because she had felt a sudden prickling sensation on her cheeks as Gaara was speaking, and as foreign as she was to the complexities of human emotions, the Root ANBU definitely knew it was no sunburn.

It wasn't because Gaara had done something wrong to offend her; he was behaving in a perfectly maintained manner of decorum. It wasn't because she simply didn't want to look at the boy; it was because she couldn't.

If she looked into the jade depths of Gaara's eyes, Kohaku was afraid that she would probably do something thoughtless. Afraid that maybe her heart rate would elevate even higher from the intensity of the gaze. Afraid that maybe her breath would catch in her throat just from looking at the dignified Kazekage.

It then became horribly clear to the titian-haired shinobi that she didn't have complete dominion over the restraining of her emotions, even if Danzou had brought down the axe on that particular project before any form of damage could become irreversible. What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly feel like an audacious little girl in the presence of the young Kazekage, whom she normally gave the same treatment she did for other people?

"Chibi?"

Gaara's voice broke her train of thought; it was querying and somewhat concerned. Kohaku shook her head slowly. "Please pardon my impertinence, Kazekage-sama," her voice came out as an uncharacteristic mumble,"As I was asking you earlier, do you require my assistance for something?"

xxxx

Gaara lowered his eyelids as he studied Kohaku; just when he thought he finally knew everything there was to know about the enigmatic girl, she became a jumbled-up puzzle again, pieces tossed around and scattered everywhere, waiting for someone to piece them back together again. What was going on in that mind of hers? "You left abruptly last night, so I was worried," he explained, never taking his gaze off her, "I was right to be concerned. You're behaving strangely, Chibi. Did you take some strange medicine without any doctor's consent?"

"No," came the short, blunt answer of the girl, "There is nothing for you to concern yourself about, Kazekage-sama. I am perfectly fine,"

Gaara presented her with a completely disbelieving look, before heaving a sigh. What did he have to do to get her to be honest with him? One would think she wouldn't have any inhibitions about speaking her mind with him; she normally displayed more emotion when it was just the two of them. At least that was what Gaara had perceived, anyway. Shifting slightly in his stationary position, Gaara felt his gourd jostle slightly on his back. He reached a hand over his shoulder to adjust it, brushing his fingers against the rough surface of the sand container.

An idea hit him.

It was perfect.

"Say, Chibi. You're still off-duty today, right?"

The redhead could see that the girl's features had shifted surreptitiously to an expression of surprise, from the way her visible eyes widened slightly, and the way her eyebrows had lifted by a small measure. "Why do you ask that, Kazekage-sama?"

"Perfect," Gaara merely answered her question with a half-smile, "Go get changed; I'd like to borrow you for the morning."

"'Borrow' me? I was unaware of the fact that I belong to someone."

Gaara suppressed the urge to smirk; some things definitely never changed. He knew that Kohaku wasn't being sarcastic; she was being dead serious. For a brief moment, Gaara found himself fondly remembering the awkward moments where her inability to detect sarcasm, and the completely ironic talent of hers to be sardonic had been displayed before he caught himself.

Not again. Why did he always have to forget himself when it came to her?

"Ah, well, I'd like you to accompany me somewhere for the morning. How does that sound? I'll treat you to a meal in that tea-shop you like, in exchange."

xxxx

As Gaara led Kohaku along the narrow, curved corridors of the Kazekage mansion, the girl had to wonder where exactly was the Kazekage taking her. Once again, she had been enticed by the tantalizing call of free mochi, and hence found herself trailing after the redheaded boy as he headed for a destination unknown to her. She watched with a sort of faint interest as passing chuunin, jounin and, well, basically _everyone_ greet the stoic Kazekage with an enthusiasm that could not simply be brushed aside.

Each time, Gaara presented every well-wisher with a small smile and a nod. While his actions did not seem to account for much, what was amazing was the fact that every one of them seemed to brighten at being acknowledged by the sixteen-year-old, as they continued on their way after bowing deeply, with a new, light-hearted spring in their steps.

Gaara noticed the way Kohaku was silently studying him, and lifted a brow. "Got something to say, Chibi?"

Kohaku looked up briefly to acknowledge hearing his question, before averting her gaze from meeting his again. "No," she answered curtly, "I was just wondering why all those people seem so ebullient, even when you did not say anything to them."

The question caught the young Kazekage off-guard, widening his eyes, though he recovered at once, his neutral expression intact. "Well, I don't really understand why, myself. Temari says it's because they like having me as their Kazekage."

"Then their actions do make some sense, then," Kohaku said softly, turning her head away to look outside a window they were walking past. They were in a lower level of the mansion; the people walking below the globe of the mansion seemed more larger than when she saw them from a window in the upper levels earlier.

It was clear that the words that came out of her mouth were meant only for her ears, but Gaara could not help but take notice and ask, "What do you mean?"

"The basic principle," Kohaku replied, still looking at the constantly-changing scenery outside, slightly surprising the redhead, because she would have normally given him a condescending stare and remain quiet. She was replying to questions that she normally left unanswered. Why was she so responsive today? "If you are fond of a particular individual, you will still be jubilant, if they acknowledge your existence. It does not matter if he or she says nothing to you, because you know that the person appreciates you."

Now Gaara was completely surprised. Hearing words like these, it was hard to believe that it was coming out of Kohaku's own mouth. He looked down to get a better look at the girl, and saw that her blank features had relaxed slightly; she was deep in thought.

He then thought about what she had just said; about being happy just because the person you admired acknowledged your existence, that it didn't matter if they didn't say anything to you. Was she just stating an observation she had come to conclusion with by studying the people around him? Or - he was taking a long-shot by even considering it - did she feel that way about someone?

Did she?

* * *

**FAQ Time!**

**What's wrong with Kohaku?  
**She's stubborn. We all know that pretty well, don't we?

**Why was Kakashi angry? He's the type to not care about things concerning other people.**  
But remember, Kakashi and Kohaku have some sort of a bond, something like what he has with Naruto and Sakura. Ergo, he was bound to become enraged when he discovered that the emotionless little girl that he's so fond of, is actually in a shady organization like Root.

**Gaara's being OOC.**  
Ah, but you've never seen a Gaara crushing on someone now, have you? This is my take on how he's like when he's in like.

Author: So, as always, reviews and constructive criticism are greatly encouraged and appreciated!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla.


	17. Tears

Author: Thank you for all the hits, favorites, alerts and reviews, everyone! I do apologize if Gaara's OOC, and I don't take any offense to comments like those. In fact, I try harder to keep him in character. Criticism is, after all, the only way for a writer to better their writing!

I know I've been… away. A pretty lengthy hiatus, but I do have a bunch of pretty solid reasons for that. For one, I've been so swamped with schoolwork and homework, that by the time I actually have any free time to myself, I just knock myself off to sleep. Also, I did hit a massive writer's block, which totally sucked. I've also been busy with the Literature Festival in school, 'cause I took part in Senior Elocution and Jest-a-minute, and well, I basically did a whole bunch of English-y projects for a month. Oh, and my mock exams lasted for almost two months, so meh. Anyways, with my GCE's looming like some sticky cloud of doom, I'll probably take longer to get back on track, but I promise that I haven't abandoned this project. I love Gaara too much for that.

**Special thanks to:**  
_MidnightCherryBlossoms_, my beloved beta who's been busy but still did her job anyway!  
_GaarasMyBoyzz  
__Shifuni  
__psychotic luv  
__ponykt  
__yuki san1  
__Multi-Colored Canvas  
__EternalWinterWonderland  
__Blueberry-muffin  
__Ayam3  
__Logical Fallacy  
__5511narusaku4eva_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. I'm not talented enough to come up with the awesomeness known as Gaara.

This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or defeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU (Alternate Universe). Thought you should know.

* * *

Kohaku's eyes trailed from one end to another as Gaara led her into a spacious room, though it seemed more like an underground arena, only without the grandstands. Various forms of steel shinobi tools were hung against a board at the far end, and many more were immaculately arranged on tables and in boxes and crates. What was this place? The kunoichi turned her attention to the redheaded Kazekage, who was heading towards the centre of the arena, stepping over the worn white lines painted on the ground.

"Kazekage-sama, may I ask you what this place is?" Normally, she would have just left her question unasked, but seeing the sharp weapons and the obviously battle-worn quality of their surroundings sent bells ringing in wary alarm.

Gaara stopped at the farthest end, across from where Kohaku stood. He crossed his arms across his chest and spoke, "We are going to spar."

He could see the slight shift of her eyebrows moving up; she was surprised. Without waiting for her to ask why - because he knew she wouldn't bother to - he proceeded to explain. "You know how I can always find you in the library when you can't be found anywhere else?"

Kohaku just stared at him with her round, blank eyes.

"That's because you like to read books of history and politics. That's what we call a hobby."

More staring. Gaara could tell that her current stare was probably asking him if he thought she was stupid.

"Well, my hobby - or one of my hobbies, anyway - is to battle. I'd like you to spar with me today, since I've never done any sparring with you before. I like new opponents."

"A person of my calibre is hardly comparable to the Kazekage of Sunagakure," There it was. Gaara had been expecting Kohaku to decline - she was obviously trying to avoid situations that required her to use physical strength, from the way she always spoke back with irritatingly diplomatic reasoning to avoid physical altercations with people like Naruto. "If you wish to cross swords with an individual that you have never battled against before, I would recommend that you request Kakashi-nii or Sai-senpai to be your sparring partner instead. Naruto-kun could suffice as well, seeing how he has incredible talent for battle. Haruno-san has the capacity to spar with you, as well,"

Gaara shook his head, setting his jaw into a determined, firm line. He was not going to relent; he wanted this. As Kazekage and a child who grew up in an emotionally-scarring environment, Gaara hardly got what he wanted, but this time, he was going to be a petulant child, if that was what would let Kohaku into an agreement to spar with him. "Kakashi is a worthy opponent, and so is Sai, but I do not wish to battle either of them at this time," he took a few steps forwards, never letting his eyes off Kohaku's, "I've been at loggerheads with Naruto on more than one occasion, so I'd prefer to battle you instead. Sakura's a medic nin - we don't battle with them unless required to."

He could see the wheels turning in Kohaku's head - she had already run out of excuses to worm her way out of the corner Gaara had backed her into. The redhead gave a tiny smirk when he saw a small sigh escape from between her lips.

"It won't be a one-hit knockout match, of course," Gaara gestured for Kohaku to step inside the boundary, "What about the first person whose knees touch the ground wins? You don't know my abilities, and I don't know yours. This could be a good learning experience for the both of us. Be serious when you battle me."

Kohaku gave him a hard, disapproving stare. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was peeved with her current predicament. "Please go easy on me, then," she bowed with a stiff formality before stepping inside the ring.

"On the count of three, we both get the first move. Is that okay with you?"

"If that is what you desire."

"One…" Gaara assumed his normal stance; standing up straight in a stationary position with his arms crossed, "Two…" Kohaku had one foot in front of the other, gearing herself for a forward launch. "Three!"

In one fluid motion, Kohaku leapt an incredible distance towards Gaara, and a flurry of kunai flew towards him. Raising one hand, Gaara's absolute defense kicked in; a curved wall of sand rose in front of the Kazekage, stopping the kunai from impaling themselves into Gaara's body just in time. Cracks appeared on the barrier of sand, and it disintegrated and the grains of sand flew back into the gourd on Gaara's back. Gaara watched as the kunai clattered onto the ground, before looking up. "Did I ask you to go easy on me?"

That was it.

Kohaku dashed towards Gaara, kunai in hand. Stabbing in his direction, the blade was blocked off by multiple walls of sand forming to protect Gaara. Kohaku frowned, before leaping backwards and throwing the kunai at him. Gaara caught it with his bare hand, and let it fall onto the ground. "This is what your Root training has taught you, Chibi? I had expected more, to be honest."

He couldn't help but taunt her. The earnest determination in her hazel eyes was strikingly similar to the one in Naruto's - had he rubbed off on her in that sense? Gaara could not help but wonder. "Or do you not specialize in comba-?"

A wall of sand quickly reacted to deflect the massive demon shuriken that had been hidden in a flurry of smaller ones. She'd caught him off-guard. Gaara smiled a half-smile.

"Not bad."

He changed stances, moving both hands to raise up some chakra-infused sand. Bringing his hands together, the sand became compressed into multitudes of tiny bullets floating in midair. Kohaku quickly dodge-rolled out of the way as the sand bullets were sent flying in her direction, before standing up again, hands brought together and rapidly forming seals.

"Fuuton: Dragon Whip!" Whirling blue chakra formed around her hands, and as she pulled them apart, the chakra condensed and formed into a solid blue rope. Coiling it around her hands, Kohaku then thrust the chakra whip towards Gaara, faster than his absolute defense could react, the wind chakra leaving cracks in the sand armor coating his skin.

Gaara gritted his teeth; it wasn't in anger nor irritation, but excitement. Of course, it was because of the battle, but he could also tell that Kohaku was slowly abandoning all the shields she'd put up around her, and focusing solely on the battle. A true mark of a Root ANBU soldier. The reason he had given Kohaku earlier was only the half-truth; in reality, he had intended to tire her out enough to at least get her to be completely honest with him. No lies, no deceit. Just the truth.

"Sand coffin!"

Kohaku was immediately encased by Gaara's sand, and she clenched her teeth as she struggled to break free.

"Raiton: Shishi no tsume!"

A loud, crackling sound of electricity resonated throughout the arena, and a burnt smell filled the area. The sand coffin burst and disintegrated; the wildly crackling chakra in the shape of a lion's paws that covered Kohaku's hands had managed to free her. The chakra dissipated, and Kohaku brought out a kunai.

Gaara was slightly taken aback; she was a dual-element wielder? Of course; he berated himself for being surprised. After all, she was a Root ANBU. Normal jounin and ANBU used more than one element, and some rare cases could wield more than two. The crackling sound was vaguely familiar, though. Had she used the same technique during the night before, when she'd encountered someone and engaged him into battle?

_WHAM!_

Gaara's train of deep thought had cost him. While he had been distracted, Kohaku had had the opportunity to run around him and aim for his back. She delivered a swift double-jab aimed at the back of his knees, effectively making him stumble forward and the next thing Gaara knew, his knees were touching the ground.

Kohaku had won.

Gaara blinked, before standing up to dust down his pants. He then turned around to face a very displeased Kohaku, who had scrapes covering her arms and face. She was obviously somewhat exhausted by the battle, though she wasn't breathing hard. What made him step back though, was the expression on her face. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and deep frown lines appeared in between them and on her forehead.

"Why did you keep letting your guard down?" Her question surprised him. Was she… angry? "You wanted me to be serious. Why weren't you serious with me? That was not a proper victory. It was a fluke."

It was difficult for Gaara to mask the amusement in his question. "Are you angry?"

The accusing glare she was shooting in his direction gave him his answer. "I'm sorry, Chibi. I really meant to concentrate fully on the match, but I lost focus," he then gave her a slight smile, "But you're rather strong, for a Chibi. I'm impressed, to be honest,"

xxxx

The first thing that crossed her mind when Kohaku had realized that Gaara wasn't even paying attention to her was irritation. Had he not wanted her to be serious in battling him? With her usual inhibitions and calm facade abandoned, the only thing that engulfed her senses then was anger.

"Despite that, I will never be a match for you, Kazekage-sama," was Kohaku's cold reply.

"Still, you're good. All that training in the Root didn't go to waste," Gaara commented, carefully wording his sentence, "I didn't expect you to be so… fierce."

Kohaku immediately masked the surprise that flashed across her face, but not before Gaara could catch it. A corner of his mouth quirked up. "You're usually… you. I saw a different you when you were battling with me. It seemed like you weren't as in control of your emotions as you usually are," the stony look on Kohaku's face amused him, "So I'm right?"

"It is-,"

"Correct?" Gaara guessed, cutting Kohaku off, "If I'm not mistaken, I've seen Sai fight before. It was definitely different from the way you do. Fighting styles are understandable, but Sai keeps a cool head and shows no emotions. Why do you?"

"I-,"

"If you're just going to dodge my question, don't even bother answering it. I'm tired of being in the dark; tired of not knowing what's going on," Gaara could see a very confused look appear on Kohaku's face. The porcelain mask of indifference was gone; his sudden confrontation had smashed it into pieces. He then decided to use the final blow.

"Aren't we friends?"

xxxx

Three words.

Four syllables.

As simple as they were, it didn't stop them from ruthlessly knocking down the psychological barriers that Kohaku had carefully built up with utmost caution for a very long time. Vivid images; colorful memories buried deep inside her mind, surfaced. Pictures of laughing children swirled around; an image of an auburn-haired boy around the age of twelve, stood out among the others.

_"I'm many things, Kohaku. Your blood brother, first and foremost, but also your friend and comrade. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you, alright?"_

xxxx

Gaara couldn't believe his eyes. Tears brimmed in the dark, blank eyes of Kohaku's, spilling freely and messily down her face. She didn't seem to notice, though. She just continued to stare off into space; her body petrified. The Kazekage couldn't help but wonder what was happening in her mind. Had his words been _too _effective?

A strange amalgamation of emotions formed in Gaara's conscience. Part of him wanted to chuckle, because the normally stoic and emotionless Kohaku was crying, and as still as she was, the girl was still one ugly mess. But another part was panicking, and yet another was curious. Why was she crying? Honestly speaking, the redhead had never hoped to live to see the day that the queer, wide-eyed girl actually cried. The thought had never even crossed him once.

Feeling the uncomfortable silence - why did she have to be so silent, even when she was crying? - to be unbearable, Gaara lifted a hand, and awkwardly shook Kohaku's shoulder. "Chibi? You there?"

Yes, as awkward as the situation was, Gaara just _had_ to pile on more layers of awkwardness onto the atmosphere with his tactless question. Of course she was there! Why did he have to ask such an obvious question? The young Kazekage wondered if the battle had exhausted his power to think properly.

Kohaku seemed to snap out of her daze; she blinked rapidly, hastily swiping the tears on her face away with her hands. "I apologize for my improper display of emotions, Kazekage-sama,"

Even her voice was shaky. Gaara knew then that what had happened had probably startled Kohaku to a very extreme extent. "Actually, you don't have to apologize. I'm the one who has to. I'm the one who made you cry, after all."

Kohaku shook her head, still attempting to rid her face of any traces of tears. "I was just… startled," she reasoned weakly.

"You do know you can trust me, right?" Gaara raised a brow, lifting his hand off her shoulder, "We may be of different villages, but we're still the same. We look the same. We think the same. We act the same. We're just humans who happened to be born into different situations."

Gaara's words rang true, for he himself had been born into the most unfortunate circumstance anyone would have the misfortune to be born into. Somehow, though, Gaara actually appreciated this, for without his power-hungry father whose actions were solely based on the best interests of Sunagakure, the redhead thought that he wouldn't be where he was today.

Kohaku merely shook her head. "I'm sorry," she muttered, before turning around and speed-walking towards the doors. Before she could touch the doors, though, a wall of sand rose up and blocked her from exiting. Kohaku withdrew her hand, looking down at it as she touched her finger tips to her palm.

Gaara walked up to the silent girl, expression on his face hard and indifferent. "Either you tell me, or we'll just stay here," he said softly.

He knew it wasn't right to corner her like this; after all, everyone had a right to have their privacy protected. But after finding out that the strange, curious girl wasn't all that she seemed to be, Gaara was afraid that he'd find out something else that had the same shocking magnitude as her being a Root ANBU. He hated feeling betrayed, and he certainly hated the agonizing wrenching in his chest that he had felt, when he realized that Kohaku didn't trust him as much as he thought she did.

But the real reason?

He didn't want to feel confused anymore.

xxxx

Kohaku's head turned slightly, her eyes boring into his own. Through the shock of remembering memories that she had sworn to never recall, Kohaku felt like a complete mess. She wanted to collect herself; she wanted everything to be properly put together again. She hated that Gaara had managed to break everything into pieces, without meaning to. Her willpower hadn't been strong enough to defend against the unexpected phrase that had caused her defenses to fall.

Despite that, she knew it. She knew that it was impossible to pretend that nothing had happened. The Kazekage had seen her reaction, and wanted answers. But could she trust him?

"Do you truly wish to receive an explanation?" her words came out quietly; barely a whisper. Gaara caught them, though, and nodded, his eyes meeting the uncertain gaze of the girl.

"I do."

Kohaku then fully turned around to face Gaara. She couldn't run away now. She'd already stepped off the ledge, and hopefully, she would fall into the arms of someone she trusted.

* * *

**FAQ Time!**

**Is the boy a friend of Kohaku's?  
**Well, yes, but he's her brother, too. All will be explained in time.

**What do you mean by her 'stepping off the ledge'?  
**I'm metaphorically talking about the trust exercise.

Author: That was, honestly, very hard to write. The last few scenes just couldn't come to mind, and I was angsting away like there was no tomorrow. Hopefully, the final ones came out alright. You all will tell me if they didn't, right? So, as always, reviews and constructive criticism are greatly encouraged and appreciated!

Luv,  
Pichuzilla.


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